TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICANPHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY HELD AT PHILADELPHIA FOR PROMOTING USEFUL KNOWLEDGE NEW SERIES-VOLUME 54, PART 5 1964 THE FORMATIVE CULTURES OF THE CAROLINA PIEDMONT JOFFRE LANNING COE Director, Research Laboratories of Anthropology, University of North Carolina THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY INDEPENDENCE SQUARE PHILADELPHIA AUGUST, 1964 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS When a project has extended over as many years as noke Rapids Basin survey. The support given this this one, it is inevitable that many people will have con- program by Mr. Thomas W. Morse, formerly Superin- tributed to its fruition. A word of encouragement, a tendent of State Parks, has also been of great impor- moment of assistance, and a helpful suggestion all be- tance. The use of the facilities of the state parks has come ingredients in the final results but are frequently made a great deal of work possible that could not have forgotten or overlooked in the writing of the study. It been accomplished otherwise. is for this reason that I should like to acknowledge my I am also indebted to Mr. Stanley South who, as my appreciation to the many people who have been helpful very capable assistant, became indoctrinated in archaeol- in making our work in the field easier and our work in ogy in the Roanoke Rapids Basin and who participated the laboratory more successful. in much of the field work for the next three years. I I am especially indebted to Mr. H. M. Doerschuk for- am appreciative of Mr. Lewis Binford's enthusiasm merly of Badin, North Carolina, who from 1927 to 1952 and for his assistance in the Roanoke Rapids work as located most of the known sites in the Uwharrie area. well as for the preparation of the maps for the Roanoke His contribution of specimens to the University of project. North Carolina and his intimate knowledge of these Finally, I should like to express my gratitude to my sites have been invaluable to this study. wife, Sally Denton Coe, for the many hours of typing Mr. J. S. Holmes, Manager of the Carolina Alumi- as well as her helpful comments and criticisms on the num Company, has been very cooperative in arranging organization and presentation of the report, and to Dr. permits for the University of North Carolina to conduct James B. Griffin, not only for the radiocarbon dates excavations on the Company's properties. The interest published in this study but more especially for his and enthusiasm of the late Mr. J. G. Holtzclaw, Presi- friendship and sound advice throughout these formative dent of the Virginia Power and Electric Company, was years. a major factor in the successful completion of the Roa- J. L. C. 3 THE FORMATIVE CULTURES OF THE CAROLINA PIEDMONT JOFFRE LANNING COE CONTENTS PAGE PAGE INTRODUCTION .......................................... 6 IV. Summary ....................................... 81 A. ........................ 81 PART ONE: THE DOERSCHUK SITE, MgV22 .............. 14 Hardaway occupation B. Palmer occupation ........................... 81 I. The natural .............................. 14 setting C. Kirk occupation .............................. 82 A . Location ..................................... 14 D. Stanly occupation ............................ 83 B. .................................. 14 Description E. Later o-cupations ............................ 83 C. Physiography ................................ 18 II. The excavations ................................. 21 PART THREE: THE GASTONSITE, HxV7 ................. 84 A. The problems and methods of excavations ...... 21 I. The natural setting .............................. 84 B. The natural zones of occupation .............. 25 A . Location ..................................... 84 B. 84 III. The analysis of artifacts ......................... 26 Description .................................. C. 86 A . Pottery ...................................... 26 Physiography ................................ 1. Badin Series .............................. 27 II. The excavations ................................. 90 2. Yadkin Series ............................. 30 A. Problems and methods of excavations .......... 90 3. Uwharrie Series ........................... 32 B. The control squares .......................... 91 4. Pee Dee Series ............................ 33 C. Bulldozing for features ....................... 91 5. Dan River Series .......................... 33 1. Garbage pits .............................. 92 6. Caraway Series ........................... 33 2. Dog burials .............................. 93 B. Projectile points ............................. 34 3. Human burials ............................ 93 1. Stanly Stemmed ........................... 35 D. Stockade trench ............................. 94 2. Morrow Mountain I Stemmed .............. 37 E. Stratigraphic levels .......................... 94 3. Morrow Mountain II Stemmed ............. 37 1. Excavation of Square -60L60 ............... 97 4. Guilford Lanceolate ........................ 43 2. Excavation of Square -70L60 ............... 97 5. Savannah River Stemmed .................. 44 III. The analysis of artifacts ......................... 99 6. Badin Crude Triangular ................... 45 A . Pottery ..................................... 99 7. Yadkin Large Triangular .................. 45 1. Vincent Series ............................ 101 8. Pee Dee Pentagonal ....................... 49 2. Clements Series ........................... 102 9. Caraway Triangular ....................... 49 3. Gaston Series ............................. 105 10. Randolph Stemmed ........................ 49 B. Distribution of pottery types ...... ............ 106 C. Other miscellaneous artifacts ................. 50 1. Control squares ........................... 106 IV. Summary ....................................... 53 2. Features .................................. 106 A. First occupations ............................ 54 C. Projectile points ............................. 107 B. Stanly occupation ............................ 54 1. Guilford Lanceolate ........................ 108 C. Morrow Mountain occupation ................ 54 2. Halifax Side-Notched ...................... 108 D. Guilford occupation .......................... 54 3. Savannah River Stemmed .................. 110 E. Savannah River occupation ................... 54 4. Roanoke Large Triangular ................. 110 F. Badin occupation ............................ 55 5. Clarksville Small Triangular ............... 112 G. Yadkin occupation ........................... 55 D. Other miscellaneous artifacts ................. 112 H. Pee Dee occupation .......................... 55 IV. Subsistence ...................................... 117 I. Caraway occupation .......................... 55 V. Summary ....................................... 118 PART Two: TIIE HARDAWAYSITE, Stv4 ................. 56 SU MMARY ............................................. 120 I. The natural setting .............................. 56 I. Paleo-Indian considerations ...................... 120 A . Location ..................................... 56 A. Hardaway Complex ......................... 120 B. Description .................................. 56 II. Beginning of the Archaic ........................ 120 II. The excavations ................................. 57 A. Palmer Complex ............................ 120 III. The analysis of artifacts ......................... 61 B. Kirk Complex ............................... 122 A . Pottery ..................................... 62 III. The Later Archaic .............................. 122 B. Projectile points ............................. 63 A. Stanly Complex ............................. 122 1. Hardaway Blade .......................... 64 B. Morrow Mountain Complex .................. 122 2. Hardaway-Dalton .......................... 64 C. Guilford Complex ............................ 123 3. Hardaway Side-Notched ................... 67 D. Halifax Complex ............................ 123 4. Palmer Corner-Notched .................... 67 E. Savannah River Complex .................... 123 5. Kirk Corner-Notched ...................... 69 IV. The Woodland tradition ........................ 124 6. Kirk Stemmed ............................ 70 7. Kirk Serrated ............................. 70 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................... 125 C. Other miscellaneous artifacts ................. 70 INDEX ................................................. 127 5 INTRODUCTION In a sense, this study is the culmination of a quarter body of data was accumulated on earlier complexes that of a century of effort on the part of the author to gain could not, at that time, be properly identified. some knowledge of the aboriginal occupation of North When work was resumed in North Carolina in 1948, Carolina. When he entered into this venture in 1934, emphasis was placed upon identifying and defining cer- the prehistory of the Piedmont lay entirely in the tain of those earlier complexes. During the following ground, and the archaeology of the southeastern United year a thorough study was made of collections from States was in its infancy. Since that time, remarkable over a hundred sites in the Uwharrie area in an attempt progress has been made in archaeological research, and to see whether the presence, absence, or repeated asso- the basic patterns of cultural development for the ciation of specific traits on those sites could identify ceramic communities are now well known throughout a recurring cultural complex. It was assumed that, most of the Eastern Woodlands. Today