RECENT RESEARCH in the MIDDLE CUMBERLAND RIVER VALLEY Introduction to a Special Volume Aaron Deter-Wolf and Tanya M. Peres
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RECENT RESEARCH IN THE MIDDLE CUMBERLAND RIVER VALLEY Introduction to a Special Volume Aaron Deter-Wolf and Tanya M. Peres The Cumberland River flows 688 miles synthesis, or attempt at a synthesis, (1,107 km) westward from its headwaters exists. We offer this special guest-edited in Letcher County, Kentucky through volume of Tennessee Archaeology as an southern Kentucky and northern Middle effort to highlight the distinct Tennessee before emptying into the Ohio archaeological record of the Middle River near Paducah, Kentucky. Since the Cumberland River valley and encourage late seventeenth century, the Cumberland future scholarship. In this Introduction we River has served as a vital resource and offer a description and definition of the transportation corridor for European and Middle Cumberland River valley, a brief Euro-American settlement, development, overview of the history of archaeology in and commerce in Tennessee and the the region, and highlight the current state surrounding region (Brent and DuVall of archaeological research and resource 2001). However, the history of human management addressed by the activity along the Cumberland River contributors to this volume. begins long before European exploration west of the Appalachians, or proto-historic The Middle Cumberland River Valley settlement of the region by the Shawnee, Defined Cherokee, Creek, and Chickasaw. Consistent human occupation and reuse From a physiographic perspective, the of natural levees and adjacent terrace Middle Cumberland River valley stretches landforms since the late Pleistocene has roughly from the confluence of the resulted in the formation of numerous Cumberland River with the Obey River at deeply-buried, stratified, multicomponent Celina (Cumberland River Mile [RM] 381) archaeological sites. The density of downstream past Ashland City to the prehistoric settlement along the mouth of the Harpeth River (RM 153). Cumberland River and its tributaries is Within this region the Cumberland River is particularly notable within the Middle fed by major tributaries including the Cumberland River valley in Tennessee, Obey, Caney Fork, Stones, and Harpeth where archaeological evidence has Rivers, as well as numerous higher order revealed that initial human occupations streams. The watershed of the Middle occurred by at least 12,100 cal BP (Deter- Cumberland River valley drains the Wolf et al. 2011a). northern portion of the Central Basin and With such a rich and ancient history, the northeastern portion of the adjacent one would think a published synthesis of Eastern Highland Rim physiographic archaeology along the Cumberland River provinces of Tennessee (Figure 1). would have occurred years ago. The Central Basin physiographic Unfortunately, primary data and site province consists of an elliptical information are found mainly within the depression extending across the central “grey literature” -- technical reports, state portion of Tennessee, which formed as a site files, and field notes -- and no result of accelerated weathering of a 5 Tennessee Archaeology 6(1-2) Summer 2012 FIGURE 1. The Middle Cumberland River valley with locations of sites discussed in this volume. Paleozoic anticlinal structure known as Overview of Previous Archaeological the Nashville Dome (Floyd 1990). The Research in the Region portion of the Central Basin along the Cumberland River drainage is Our archaeological understanding of characterized by gently rolling to hilly the prehistory of the Middle Cumberland terrain. In the area immediately adjacent River valley comes as a result of to the Nashville Dome, undisturbed and numerous survey, testing, and excavation extremely dense limestone of the Lower projects performed by the Tennessee Mississippian epoch Fort Payne Division of Archaeology (TDOA) (e.g., Formation (ca. 360–345 MYA) prevented Broster and Barker 1992; Broster et al. substantial erosion, resulting in the 1991, 2006, 2008; Cridlebaugh 1983; formation of the Eastern and Western Deter-Wolf et al. 2011a; Jolley 1979; Highland Rim physiographic provinces. Moore 2005; Moore and Breitburg 1998; These areas are characterized by rolling, Moore and Smith 2001; Moore et al. 1992; dissected terrain situated around 300 feet Norton and Broster 1993, 2001; Spears et higher in elevation than the Central Basin. al. 2008), archaeological consultants and The intersection between these provinces Cultural Resource Management firms is marked by numerous finger-like (e.g., Allen 1999, 2008; Barker 1997, protrusions where the Central Basin 2002, 2004, 2010; Bentz 1986; Dillehay et province extends along major river and al. 1984; Gregory et al. 2010; Law 2005; stream channels into the surrounding McNutt and Lumb 1987; McNutt and Highland Rim. Weaver 1983; Walling et al. 2000; 6 Introduction Wampler 2007), and from academic John Haywood (1823), Joseph Jones investigations (e.g., Anderson et al. 2010; (1876), William E. Myer (1928), and Gates Berryman 1981; Beahm et al. 2010; P. Thruston (1890). These gentlemen, Morse 1967; O’Brien 1977; Worne 2011). along with Frederic W. Putnam (1878) However, while the Tennessee Division of and other representatives of Harvard’s Archaeology site file database includes Peabody Museum of Archaeology and entries for more than 3,100 prehistoric Ethnology (Moore and Smith 2009), were sites within the Middle Cumberland River drawn to the earthworks, graves, and valley as of June 25, 2012, the site file relics of the area’s late prehistoric database indicates less than 10 percent inhabitants and performed some of the (approximately 260) of these resources earliest archaeological investigations in have been subjected to formal the region. investigations beyond intensive surface Modern efforts to identify the collection and/or shovel testing. boundaries of the Middle Cumberland Instead, much of our knowledge Mississippian culture initially proposed an regarding the archaeological character of area that included the Cumberland River the Middle Cumberland is the result of watershed from the confluence of the investigations conducted by Middle Cumberland and the Caney Fork (RM Tennessee’s avocational archaeological 309) downstream to the mouth of the community, including notable efforts by Cumberland at the Ohio River (Ferguson 2012 Society of American Archaeology 1972). The culture boundary has since Crabtree Award recipient John T. Dowd. been refined both as a result of Data from surveys and excavations during archaeological excavations (e.g., Moore the 1970s through early 1990s and 2005; Moore and Smith 2001; Moore et al. continuing monitoring by members of that 2006; Smith and Moore 1994) and community have been published in reanalysis of older collections and data various forums (e.g. Dowd 1972, 1989, (Moore and Smith 2009; Smith 1992; 2008; Lindstrom 1979; Parker 1974) and Smith and Miller 2009), and now contributed to the permanent site file encompasses the area from the Caney record at the TDOA. This information Fork to the confluence of the Cumberland provides essential baseline data on which and the Red River at Clarksville (RM 125) our understanding of the archaeological (see discussion in Moore et al. 2006). character of this region is built. While late prehistoric sites attracted Within the archaeological literature the some of the earliest scholarly interest in term “Middle Cumberland” is used to ancient habitation of the Middle identify a discrete regional late prehistoric Cumberland River valley, Mississippian culture (i.e., Middle Cumberland occupations only scratch the surface of Mississippian) defined in part by the area’s archaeological record. Of distinctive mortuary practices, artistic around 1,700 sites in the region that have styles, and ceramic typologies. The produced temporally diagnostic materials, density and unique archaeological just 20 percent include Mississippian character of these Mississippian artifacts. Nine percent of temporally- occupations along the Cumberland River assigned sites include Paleoindian or in Middle Tennessee has been transitional Paleoindian diagnostics, 46 recognized since at least the nineteenth percent include Woodland materials, and century. Antiquarian scholars include 74 percent have produced artifacts 7 Tennessee Archaeology 6(1-2) Summer 2012 diagnostic of the Archaic period.1 These Nashville have been largely unimproved earlier cultural periods in the Middle except according to the efforts of Cumberland River valley, and particularly individual landowners. These outlying the Archaic, also witnessed the areas have suffered slow destruction fluorescence of distinctive regional since the creation of Cheatham Lake, Old cultural phenomena including a variant of Hickory Lake, and Lake Barkley as a the Benton mortuary tradition (Deter-Wolf result of varying water levels, boat wakes, 2004), and the creation of extensive shell and dam outfall. middens/mounds (Peres and Deter-Wolf In addition to impacts from erosion, the 2012). numerous easily-identifiable and readily- The archaeological density of the accessible prehistoric site deposits along Middle Cumberland River valley can be the Middle Cumberland River and its explained in part by the ample resources tributaries have for years attracted of the region. These include easy access detrimental attention from the public. to potable, navigable, and mineral-rich Middle Tennessee has a strong tradition water; high concentrations and varied of avocational archaeologists helping to species of flora and fauna; fertile soils promote site preservation and public