Ridge Reservation Oak Ridge, Tennessee
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ORNL-TM-4694 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY WITH EMPHASIS ON PREHISTORIC SITES OF THE \,pAK RIDGE RESERVATION OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE George F. Fielder, Jr. MARTI'll MARETTA EflEAOY SYSTEMS lIBRARES ~IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII~IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ,"- "\- '~ This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by the United States Government. Neither the United States nor the United States Atomic ,.,. Energy Commission, nor any of their employees, nor any of their contractors, subcontractors, or their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or use fulness of any information, apparatus, product or process disclosed, or '." represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. .]' -1 ORNL-TM-4694 -~. (~ ~ Contract No. W-7405-eng-26 ENERGY DIVISION ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY WITH EMPHASIS ON PREHISTORIC SITES OF THE OAK RIDGE RESERVATION OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE George F. Fielder, Jr. {i~ Department of Anthropology . The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee '::\.;! Project conducted and reported in accordance with Union Carbide Corporation, Nuclear Division, Subcontract 3973 MARTIN MARIETTA ENERGY SYSTEMS LIBRARIES OCTOBER 1974 '111~jljl'II"II"II'IIII'II'111 3 445b 0317211 7 OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY ------------- (f' Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830 operated by I UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION .~t-' for the U.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION ~. oW r, " ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This survey of the archaeological resources of the Oak Ridge area was conducted with funds provided by Union Carbide Corporation, Nuclear Division. The many personnel of Union Carbide whom we contacted were very cooperative in pro viding information about aboriginal sites and aided us in getting access to var~ous areas on the Reservation. Without this cooperation our work would have been considerably more arduous and less productive. In particular we would like to thank Mr. Thomas H. Row, ORNL Environmental Statements Project, and his staff, Carole Robbins, Walter Stockdale, and Chuck Boston, for their expertise in coordinating and expediting the field work. Mr. Jerry Wing, AEC-ORO, was very helpful in our coordination with AEC personnel. Our liaison contacts at the other plants were Merwyn Sanders (Y-12), Mike Mitchell (ORGDP), and Don Robie (UT-AEC [CARL]). The ORNL Engineering Division ~ provided surveying and mapping assistance at the Scarboro Creek site. 't,,!:' There are many other persons who aided our work, but to list them individually would entail several pages. We appreciated their help all the same. The author would like to thank Dr. Major C.&McCollough, who served as Principal Investigator for the project, for his interest and support. The field crew consisted of Stephen Cooper, Victor Hood, and the author. The laboratory analysis of the lithic arti facts was conducted by Mr. Cooper, a U.T. graduate student. Mr. Hood, also a U.T. graduate student, drafted the figures. The final draft was typed by Dorothy Fielder, who also served as editorial assistant. 1- ~ iii \. ~. ; .. ./"', ~ ABSTRACT An archaeological survey of the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Department of Anthropology located and investigated 45 sites of aboriginal occupation and several early historic Euro american homestead sites. Most of the major archaeological periods in the eastern Tennessee chronological sequence were represented in the material collected during the survey. One aboriginal site was assigned to the Paleo-Indian period~ eight were assigned to the Archaic period~ twenty-four contained Woodland period materials; and five sites were occupied during the Mississippian period. The sites were distributed along the drainage system of the Clinch River with a majority of them located on the main stream. Several sites were located, however, on the -,,~ tributary streams of Poplar Creek, East Fork of Poplar Creek, and White Oak Creek. t'~ The site location data generated by this survey can be incorporated into comprehensive regional models, thus aiding in the interpretation of prehistoric settlement and resource utilization patterns in eastern Tennessee. In addi tion, the data will aid in the planning of future projects on the Reservation so that adverse effects on archaeological resources can be minimized. "f- ~, v '-'; :.: J-. TABLE OF CONTENTS ~' Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ix '. LIST OF TABLES xi INTRODUCTION 1 THE SETTING • • 3 Physiography • • . • • • 0 • • • • 0 • • 3 Topography 3 Climatology • 4 Biotic • • . • • • •• •• o. 4 Faunal Re s'ource s • • . • 0 • 0 • • • 0 5 •• ••• 0 • Floral Resources 0 o. • • 6 Cultural Setting 0 • • 00 • • 7 Synopsis of Aboriginal Occupations in . Ea'st Tennessee . 0.. 0 •.•. ••••• 7 -"c, Paleo-Indian Period . • • 0 • • • • • • 0 8 Archaic Period 0 0 • .• • 0 • • 0 • 8 o. •• 0 9 t'~. Woodland Period. •. .• Mississippian Period • . 0 0 • • • • • • 0 • 10 Historic Native American Period . • 0 • • • 10 Synopsis of Euroamerican Settlement 11 PREVIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH 12 Cyrus Thomas.. • . • • • • 13 Norris Basin Sur~ey. • • • • . 13 Watts Bar Reservoir Survey • . 0 14 Melton Hill Reservoir Survey 14 Liquid. Metal Fast Breeder Reactor Proj ect . (LMFBR) .' . 14 SURVEY PROCEDURES . • 16 Operational Definiti6ns • ..•.•.. 16 Areal Coverage . • . • • • . 0 • • 18 Survey Techniques • • 0 0 0 18 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE INVENTORY 0 ~ 21 ).. vii viii Page ",-'" ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES IN SPECIFIC RESERVATION AREAS • . • . • . • 70 '''; Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant . • . 70 Proposed Poplar Creek Substation • • • 70 y -12 Plant . .. 70 Oak Ridge National Laboratory . • • • • • . • . 72 UT-AEC Comparative Animal Research Laboratory (CARL) • • . • • . • • 72 Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor Site . • • . • . 74 Existing Transmission-Line Corridors • . • 74 Federal Building, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 76 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 77 Temporal Patterns . 77 Paleo-Indian Period 77' Archaic Period • . • 77 Woodland Period'. • • . • • • 78 Mississippian Period . • . • • • • . • • 78 Historic Native American Period • 78 Historic Euroamerican Period•• • . •••• • . 78 Si te Distribution Patterns . 79 ~. Intersite Patterns ••• .•••••••. 79 Intrasite Patterns • • . • . • 79 Conclusion • • • • • • • . • 80 .r RECOMMENDATIONS . 82 REFERENCES CITED 83 APPENDIX A. MAMMALS AND HERPETOFAUNA OF THE OAK RIDGE AREA AND VERTEBRATE REMAINS FROM THE HIGGS SITE, LOUDON COUNTY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 87 B. INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS OF CULTURAL MATERIALS RECOVERED • • . • • . • . • • • • . • .. 93 C. CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA FOR OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE :. • . • • • • 117 ..r '" .:.,. 't" LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. The areas surveyed with the degree of intensity indicated • • • . •• ••.•• • • • • • • 19 2. The Oak Ridge area showing known archaeo logical sites as of June 1974; historic sites 40RE120, 40RE121, 40RE122, and 40RE123 not included • • • . • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • 22 3. General view of Scarboro Creek site (40AN27) looking nQrtheast and upstream; mound A at left center • • • • • • • • • • • • . ~ . • 26 4. Mound A, Scarboro Creek site (40AN27) looking northeast • .'. • • • • • • • • • . • . • 26 -,~ 5. Plan and contour map of mounds A and B, Scarboro site (40AN27 ) 28 Creek • . • . • . · ,"" t ~: 6. The Freels Cabin (40AN28) May 1974; view to the southeast • . • • • . • • • . · 30 7. The field crew making measured drawings of the north side of the west pen of the Freels Cabin (40AN28) •.••••••••.••..• 30 8. North elevation and ground floor plan of the Freels Cabin • • . • • • • • • . • . 31 9. Selected lithic artifacts: Gallaher site (40RE109A) .•••••• 45 10. Selected lithic artifacts: Gallaher site (40RE109B) ••••••• · 47 11. General view of Gallaher site (40RE109); Clinch River on the right, Poplar Creek on the left . 52 -;. 12. General view of Poplar Creek site (40RE126) , with the site partially inundated; view to the northeast • . • . • . • • • • 52 ~ ix x Figure Page ,- 13. Selected lithic artifacts: Poplar Creek site (40RE126) ....... · . 55 ",.J, 14. Selected lithic artifacts: Poplar Creek site (40RE126) · · · · · · · · · · . · · · . · · · 57 15. Selected lithic artifacts: Poplar Creek site (40RE126) · · · · · · · · · · - . · · · . · · · 59 16. Selected lithic artifacts: Poplar Creek site (40RE126) · · · · · · · · · · . · · · ." . · · · 61 17. General view of the White Oak Lake site (40RE132) showing test pit location (crew), crushed rock, and partial stripping of the vegetation; view to the northeast . • . • . 65 18. General view of the East Fork site (40RE134) from Tennessee highway 58 looking northwest showing vegetation and plowing . 65 19. Selected lithic artifacts: White Oak Lake site East Fork" site (40RE134) .... 67 (40RE132) and ~"- 20. Plan and associated features of historic barn foundation (40RE136) ..•.•.•..•..• 69 .I'''' 21. Known archaeological sites in the ORGDP area as of June 1974; adapted from USGS 7-1/2' Elverton Quadrangle . • . • . 71 22. Archaeological testing in the proposed ORMAK F/BX plant site located west of Y-12 . ...• 73 23. Known archaeological sites on part of the UT-AEC Comparative Animal Research Laboratory lands; adapted from USGS 7-1/2' Lovell Quadrangle 75 ~ ..:. ....... 't"' LIST OF TABLES Table Page A.l. Mammals of Oak Ridge area • . · 88 A.2., Herpetofauna of Oak Ridge area · · · · 89 A. 3. Vertebrates identified from the Higgs site 91 B.l. Site 40AN2S artifact assemblage • • · · 98 B.2. Site 40AN26 artifact assemblage • • · • · · · · 98 B.3. Site 40AN27 artifact