The Potomac Creek Site (44St2) Revisited
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE POTOMAC CREEK SITE (44ST2) REVISITED \ \ '-' STRUCTURE @@ OSSUARY 0BASTION 84 DITCH , .. ., ........ PALISADE 0- 40 meters Research Report Series No. 10 Virginia Department of Historic Resources 2801 Kensington Avenue Richmond, Virginia 23221 THE POTOMAC CREEK SITE (44ST2) REVISITED Virginia Department of Historic Resources Research Report Series No. 10 Prepared by: William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research Department of Anthropology The College of William and Mary Williamsburg, Virginia 23 187-8795 Project Director Dennis B. Blanton Authors Dennis B. Blanton Stevan C. Pullins Veronica L. Deitrick with contributions from: Gwenyth Duncan William C. Johnson Lisa Kealhofer Justine K. McKnight This volume is dedicated in memory of Thomas Dale Stewart (1 90 1-1 997) ABSTRACT Under agreement with tlie Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR), the William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research (WMCAR) completed a second stage of data recovery in a portion of tlie Potomac Creek Site (44ST2) in Stafford County, Virginia. The fieldwork for this effort was completed in November and December, 1996. It followed completion of the first stage by Cultural Resources, Inc. which consisted of sampling and removal of plowzone to identify cultural features. The WMCAR work resulted in systematic sampling of each cultural feature identified. These include sections of a perimeter ditch, four palisade post lines, nine palisade trench lines, five pit features, and one structure. Radiocarbon dates establish occupation between AD 1300 and 1550. A model is presented of village evolution that accounts for an initial immigrant group and eventual adjustments to local conditions, including chiefdom-level organization. Patterns of subsistence are documented along with material culture. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We want to recognize the support of the project sponsor, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and particularly the enthusiasm and assistance of David K. Hazzard, Director of the Threatened Sites Program, and Robert Jolley, archaeologist at the Winchester Regional Office of DHR. The experience was extraordinary in many respects, but one of the more positive was the outstanding cooperation of the property owner, Mr. Buddy Oden. Buddy was accommodating in every sense and remained nonplused over tlie prolonged construction-site appearance of the place. We wish that everyone were so helpful. The longstanding interest and scholarly contributions of T. Dale Stewart and Howard MacCord are duly acknowledged. Without the pioneering work of these individuals, our results would have been much diminished in scope. Bill Johnson (Michael Baker, Jr., Inc.) very generously enlightened us of the potential of cord twist studies, donating considerable time to examine a sample of ceramic sherds from our excavations, tlie results of which are included herein. There is a legion of others that volunteered their time to see that tlie work was completed. These include a great many Archeological Society of Virginia members. A standout among them was Jack Edlund who devoted many, many hours in the field and managed to be contagiously enthusiastic all along. Special recognition is also due Shirley "Little Dove" Custalow McGowan, and her son Samuel, representatives of the Mattaponi tribe. Shirley not only shared her understanding of native culture with us and with visitors to the open house, but pitched in to help with the work on more than one occasion. Students, teachers, and parents from King George Elementary School contributed mightily to the excavations and elevated our enthusiasm a notch more. Colleagues from James River Institute for Archaeology in Williamsburg also contributed their skill and knowledge to the field effort. Christine Jirikowic was kind enough to pay us a visit, not only to help with the digging but also to avail us of her knowledge of Potomac Creek issues, especially of the ceramic kind. The neighbors along Indian Point Road made us feel welcome and frequently stopped by to offer moral support and remind us with their questions of what matters most. Our colleagues at Cultural Resources, Inc. in Williarnsburg, Virginia, who preceded us on this project, were most helpful with information and support. Finally, helpful comments 011 the draft version of this report were received from Howard MacCord, and from Randolph Turner and Bob Jolley of the Department of Historic Resources. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ... Abstract ...........................................................................111 ... Acknowledgments ...................................................................... Tableofcontents ...................................................................... List of Figures ...................................................................... v Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................... 1 Dennis B. Blanton Chapter 2: Research Design and Methods ................................................13 Dennis B. Blanton Chapter 3 : Results of Excavation .......................................................2 1 Stevan C. Pullins and Dennis B. Blanton Chapter 4: Description of Artifacts .....................................................47 - Dennis B. Blanton and Veronica L. Deitrick Chapter 5: Summary and Conclusions ...................................................89 Dennis B. Blanton ReferencesCited ..................................................................107 Appendix A: Artifact Inventory Appendix B: Report of Ethnobotanical Analysis Justine K. McKnight Appendix C: Report of Faunal Analysis Gwenyth Duncan Appendix D: Report of Phytolith Analysis Lisa Kealhofer Appendix E: Report of Ceramic Sherd Cord Twist Analysis William C. Johnson LIST OF FIGURES Page Site 44ST2. location within Virginia and topography of environs ......................... 2 Detail of project area (county road plan) ............................................ 3 Detail from John Smith's 16 12 map of Virginia ...................................... 6 Site 44ST2. location of excavation area on Stewart's site plan ........................... 7 Locations of major Potomac Creek sites ........................................... 11 Site 44ST2. correlation of 1996 excavation area with Stewart's site plan .................. 22 Site 44ST2. distribution of fire-cracked rock from 1996 CRI shovel tests ................. 23 Site 44ST2. distribution of debitage from 1996 CRI shovel tests ........................ 23 Site 44ST2. distribution of ceramics from 1996 CRI shovel tests ........................ 24 Site 44ST2. distribution of bone from 1996 CRI shovel tests ........................... 24 Site 44ST2. plan of excavation area ............................................... 27 Site 44ST2. cross-section through excavation area ................................... 28 Site 44ST2. cross-section of palisade trench features ................................. 30 Site 44ST2. plan showing excavated sections of Feature 1 and overlay of previous excavations ..................................... 35 Site 44ST2. cross-sections of Feature 1 ............................................36 Site 44ST2. plans of pit features ................................................. 39 Site 44ST2. cross-sections of pit features ..........................................40 Site 44ST2. plan and profile of Feature 23 .........................................43 Site 44ST2. plan of Structure 1 .................................................. 45 Site 44ST2. decorated Potomac Creek ceramics ..................................... 52 Site 44ST2. decorated Potomac Creek ceramics .....................................53 Site 44ST2. Potomac Creek Cord-Marked ceramics .................................. 53 Site 44ST2. Potomac Creek ceramics .............................................. 54 Site 44ST2. Potomac Creek Sand-Tempered (Moyaone) ceramics ....................... 54 Site 44ST2. Potomac Creek Sand-Tempered (Moyaone) vessels ........................ 56 Site 44ST2. minority ceramics ................................................... 56 Site 44ST2. rim profiles of Potomac Creek Cord-Marked vessels ........................ 63 Site 44ST2. rim profiles of Potomac Creek Plain. miscellaneous Potomac Creek. Potomac Creek Sand.Tempered. and minority ware vessels .............. 64 Site 44ST2. rim diameters of vessels >5 cm by form .................................. 67 Site44ST2. pipes .............................................................69 Site 44ST2. bore diameters of measurable pipe stems by form ......................... 71 Site 44ST2. other ceramic artifacts ...............................................73 Site 44ST2. hafted bifaces ...................................................... 76 Site 44ST2. formal lithic tools ................................................... 77 Site 44ST2. worked bone .......................................................82 Late Woodland culture areas of the Mid-Atlantic region ............................... 90 Sites 44ST2 and 18PR8. comparative site plans ..................................... 94 38 Sites 44ST2 and 18PR8. idealized plans showing major enclosures ...................... 95 39 Schematic diagram of village evolution ............................................ 96 40 Competing origin hypotheses for Potomac Creek culture .............................. 103 LIST OF TABLES A chronicle of Patawomeke ....................................................... 5 Summary of archaeological investigations at Indian