Archaeological Investigations at the Philpott Site, Henry County, Virginia

ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT THE PHILPOTT SITE, HENRY COUNTY, VIRGINIA R. P. Stephen Davis, Jr., Jane Eastman, Thomas O. Maher, and Richard P. Gravely, Jr. Research Report No. 19 Research Laboratories of Archaeology The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1998 Archaeological Investigations at the Philpott Site, Henry County, Virginia by R. P. Stephen Davis, Jr. Jane Eastman Thomas O. Maher and Richard P. Gravely, Jr. Research Report No. 19 Research Laboratories of Archaeology The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1998 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Philpott site was excavated on at least three occasions between 1965 and 1985 by members of the Patrick-Henry Chapter of the Archeological Society of Virginia (ASV) under the general direction of the late Richard P. Gravely, Jr. of Martinsville, Virginia. Other excavators mentioned in the field notes include Bob and Sally Burns, Claude Connoy, Mike Anderson, Joy Stafford, Jim and Brenda Childs, Sherman Dutton, and Scott Simms. Most of the existing field notes were written by Bob Burns, and Richard Gravely drafted at least two maps of the excavation and curated the field notes and artifacts from the site. In 1983, Gravely donated these notes, maps, photographs, and artifacts to the Research Laboratories of Archaeology. Richard Gravely is included posthumously as a co-author in recognition of his work at the site and his stewardship of the resulting archaeological data. This site report was made possible because of a research grant from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. We want to thank Dr. Catherine Slusser and Mr. Keith Egloff of that office for supporting the completion of this and other reports on archaeological excavations undertaken by the Patrick-Henry Chapter of the ASV in Henry County, Virginia. Several individuals besides the authors contributed indirectly to this report. First, we wish to acknowledge Brenda Moore of the Research Laboratories of Archaeology for her capable assistance in administering the grant. Bryan Shanks supervised the re- cleaning of artifact collections and also sorted, classified, and computer-coded all analyzed pottery from the site. Jessica LaMarro assisted with the pottery analysis, and Sarah Hopton and Katherine McGhee-Snow also assisted with some of the illustrations. i ABSTRACT The Philpott site (44Hr4) is a Native American archaeological site located on the Smith River near the town of Bassett in northwestern Henry County, Virginia. It contains evidence of a substantial, late prehistoric village of the Dan River phase, and it also has yielded artifacts and archaeological features that date to the subsequent contact period. The site was first recorded by Richard Gravely in 1965. Members of the Patrick-Henry Chapter of the Archeological Society of Virginia excavated portions of the Dan River phase village in 1965–1966, 1972, and 1974–1976, and Gravely excavated several archaeological features from the contact-period occupation in 1985. The most substantial work occurred in 1974–1976. Artifact collections and partial records exist for all but the 1965–1966 and 1972 excavations; however, the quality of these data is relatively poor compared to other field projects of the Patrick-Henry Chapter. Although not stated in the field notes, the 1974–1976 excavation apparently was undertaken in response to the construction of a large building on the northwest quarter of the site by the Bassett Mirror Company. An incomplete map of these excavations shows that at least 158 5-ft-by-5-ft units were dug. These excavations recovered over 90,000 artifacts and revealed at least 25 archaeological features, 22 burials, 34 soil stains or rock concentrations, and two palisade ditches. Most artifacts were bagged by excavation unit and cannot be separated further by soil zone or feature context. Also, detailed descriptions of archaeological features are generally lacking. In 1985, several contact-period features were discovered adjacent to the earlier excavation area. Four of these—two pits and two burials containing European trade artifacts—were salvaged by Richard Gravely. Collectively, the archaeological data from the Philpott site indicate that it was occupied sporadically until the Dan River phase, when a large, palisaded village was established. The large quantities of artifacts and substantial midden at the site indicate that this village stood for a relatively long period of time. The extent and duration of the subsequent contact-period occupation, which likely occurred during the mid-1600s, has not yet been determined. The Philpott site is significant because it represents one of the primary Dan River phase settlements in the upper Smith River valley and is one of only a few sites in the region that has produced evidence of Indian-European contact. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments................................................................................................................ i Abstract ...............................................................................................................................ii Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Environmental Setting......................................................................................................... 2 Physiography and Topography................................................................................ 2 Geological Resources.............................................................................................. 4 Floral and Faunal Resources ................................................................................... 5 Site History and Research Objectives ................................................................................. 6 Field and Laboratory Methods ............................................................................................ 7 Excavation Results ..............................................................................................................9 Site Stratigraphy...................................................................................................... 9 Site Structure......................................................................................................... 12 Description of Features and Burials ...................................................................... 12 Pottery ............................................................................................................................... 19 Dan River Net Impressed ...................................................................................... 26 Dan River Roughly Smoothed .............................................................................. 31 Dan River Plain ..................................................................................................... 32 Dan River Cord Marked........................................................................................ 33 Dan River Corncob Impressed .............................................................................. 35 Dan River Brushed ................................................................................................ 36 New River Net Impressed ..................................................................................... 37 New River Cord Marked ....................................................................................... 37 New River Fabric Impressed................................................................................. 38 New River Roughly Smoothed.............................................................................. 38 New River Brushed ............................................................................................... 38 New River Indeterminate ...................................................................................... 39 Unclassified Net Impressed................................................................................... 39 Unclassified Cord Marked .................................................................................... 41 Unclassified Check Stamped................................................................................. 41 Unclassified Burnished ......................................................................................... 41 Unclassified Plain.................................................................................................. 42 Unclassified Complicated Stamped (Filfot Cross)................................................ 42 Unclassified Fabric Impressed .............................................................................. 42 Uwharrie Net Impressed........................................................................................ 43 Uwharrie Cord Marked ......................................................................................... 43 iii Discussion ............................................................................................................. 44 Pottery Decoration................................................................................................. 44 Design Elements.................................................................................................... 44 Classification of Exterior Decorations .................................................................. 45 Other Clay Artifacts .......................................................................................................... 49 Clay Smoking Pipes .............................................................................................

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