|
Pennsylvania Archaeologist, 90(1), 1-25 Kaolin Clay Mining in Southeast Pennsylvania and Northwest Delaware William B. Liebeknecht, Kristine A. Chase, Curtis A. McCoy, and John McCarthy |
|
The Delaware Division of State Parks and Recreation, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has been working to develop a trail through the White Creek State Park in New Castle County, Delaware. Dovetail Cultural Resource Group was engaged to conduct archaeological and archival studies on a portion of the park, which contains the remains of the Newark China Clay Company 1912 - ca. 1942 (7NC-D-277). Extensive clearing of the understory followed by detailed mapping of the industrial landscape determined the boundaries and extent of preservation were greater than originally projected. The goal was to conduct extensive research on the history of the kaolin mining industry in northern Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania, analyze the data in relation to the physical layout and landscape of known, extant mining areas, and create a framework for use in the future evaluation of kaolinr esources in this region |
|
Pennsylvania Archaeologist, 90(1), 27-36 A Monongahela House Reconstruction on City Island James T. Herbstritt |
|
An experimental house reconstruction based on archaeological informa-tion
derived from the Protohistoric Throckmorton (36Gr160) and Foley Farm
(36Gr52) Monongahela village excavations is described in detail. Houses of
this culture and period (ca. 1590 - 1635 AD) suggest that many vertically
walled dwellings had a parabolic frame system capped by a low pitched roof.
Out-sloping walled (Johnson and Babich 1992, 2004)
dwellings described for other Monongahela villages is not demonstrated for
terminal stage architecture of Monongahela. Pennsylvania Archaeologist, 90(1), 37-42 Spencer F. Baird recovered artifacts in a cave near Carlisle, Pennsylvania in the 19th century. This report describes those still preserved in the collections of the National Museum of Natural History. Pennsylvania
Archaeologist, 90(1), 43-51 Petroglyph sites, such as Little Indian Rock (36La185), are anunderutilized line of evidence that may help researchers better understandthe cultural currents that shaped the way people lived and moved withintheir landscape. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the eastern section ofLittle Indian Rock separated and settled on the river bottom. Here, Idescribe some of the most significant properties of the site and explorethe effect its fracturing may have had on the prehistoric inhabitants of thearea. Using three ethnographic accounts of the loss or destruction ofsacred objects in other traditional cultures, the author aims to present a plausible cultural response that may shed light on a poorly understoodperiod in the prehistory of Pennsylvania’s Lower Susquehanna Valleyfrom approximately 700 – 1300 AD.
Pennsylvania Archaeologist, 90(1), 52-62 For over a decade, archaeologists from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission have been conducting investigations to determine the exact location of French and Indian War fortifications at Fort Hunter(36Da159), north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. While much has been learned about the prehistoric and historic occupations of this site, excavations have not produced a quick answer to the questions of where the French and Indian War fort was actually located or to where built elements of the property relating to the first European inhabitants might lie. In 2019, a feature that appears to date to the mid-1700s was discovered that may finally lead to some answers about the early occupation of this site. Pennsylvania Archaeologist, 90(1), 63-70 |
|
The study of the relic words of the Susquehannocks has the potential to shed light on the origins and subgroups of the Susquehannock entity. The possibility of discovering linguistic evidence of the Shenks Ferry peoples was also a purpose of this study. I conclude that the words recorded as Susquehannock are all Iroquoian and that there is no linguistic record of anon-Iroquoian Shenks Ferry subgroup in the historic Susquehannock entity. This paper is also meant as a reference of word meanings.
Pennsylvania Archaeologist,
90(2), 1-15. Phase I/II investigations of the proposed Dunbar Business Park in Dunbar Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania relocated and evaluated four upland prehistoric sites (36Fa264, 36Fa265, 36Fa266, and36Fa268). One of these sites, Dunbar School (36Fa268), contained both Middle and Late Archaic components and is singled out for special attention. In addition to affording the opportunity to study upland utilization within the Unglaciated section of the Appalachian Plateau physiographic province of southwestern Pennsylvania by Archaic period populations, the project represents an excellent example of collaboration among students, avocationals, and professionals in completing a relatively complex and intensive archaeological study.
Pennsylvania Archaeologist,
90(2), 17-34. A number of recent studies of materials excavated more than a centuryago at the Murray Garden site (36Br2) shed important light on the cultureof the people interred in that cemetery and how this apparent burial sitefits into the Susquehannock cultural sequence. A co-operative effortorganized by the Director of the Susquehanna River ArchaeologicalCenter (SRAC, Waverly, New York) generated the moderninterdisciplinary research program presented here. A summary of thepublished literature, modern 14C dates, floral analysis, and a groundpenetrating radar survey allow this ca 1530 - 1550 A.D. site to beevaluated within the context of contemporary nearby sites as well as thepost-1500 Susquehannock villages located far downstream, along thelower reaches of the Susquehanna River.
Pennsylvania Archaeologist,
90(2), 35-51. The passenger pigeon was an important food source for Native groups. Prior to going extinct, pigeons would return to their nesting grounds each spring in the beech dominant forests of the Allegheny National Forest region. This in turn would cause Native groups to journey from their distant settlements into the forests and set up camp to exploit this important food source. As these birds came in great numbers, evidence should exist in the archaeological record of their presence. This paper examines a few sites where possible gizzard stones have been recovered during recent Phase I archaeological studies conducted in the Allegheny National Forest. These sites are typically found in areas of rich anthropogenic soil associated with unique plant communities. In some off-site areas zones of dark, rich soil occur suggesting chemical alteration from another agent. It is proposed here that these areas might represent former pigeon nesting and roosting areas.
Pennsylvania Archaeologist,
90(2), 53-63 The Smithsonian Bureau of Ethnology was tasked with archaeological explorations of mounds in the Eastern United States in 1881. Cyrus Thomas was named head of the Division of Mound Exploration, and he hired assistants to conduct mound explorations in different areas east of the Mississippi River. This work was conducted between 1882 and 1890 in the Eastern United States. Thomas hired an assistant to examine mounds in Western Pennsylvania between 1885 and 1886. Several mounds were examined in the Monongahela Valley. The most famous of these was the Crall Mound in Monongahela City. The mounds, burials and associated artifacts were described in Thomas’ 1894 Report of Mound Explorations of the Bureau of Ethnology. However, none of the artifacts were illustrated in his report. The author visited the Smithsonian Institution Museum Support Center and photographed artifacts recovered by the Thomas expedition to the Monongahela Valley
Pennsylvania Archaeologist,
90(2), 65-72 Archived documents as well as records from local oral traditions abound within each of the American colonies. Gathering the accounts relevant to a specific Native American site reveals the extent of such information and how it can help us to reconstruct culture histories for the numerous tribal entities for whom detailed histories are often wanting. The period from 1700 to 1750 in Pennsylvania saw a wide assortment of complex responses of a number of local and immigrant tribal entities as each sought a mechanism by which to maintain their cultural heritage. The Deisher site (36Bk450) has long been known, but how it fits into Lenape tribal history is only now being addressed. Fitting this site into recently discovered data sets regarding the Lenape has been attempted, but final resolution remains elusive. |