Yes, they are stone tools and extremely old. Acknowledging this in the archaeological world has caused a major debate, but the negative scrutiny is mostly coming from the older generation trying to preserve their life’s work. Truth is, the US has been inhabited just as long as all of the other continents and the evidence has become too much to ignore.
Dr Albert Goodyear found a site in South Carolina called the “Topper Site” where stone tools like you have were found along with a lot of other artifacts and rock art. He caught some major heat for it in the beginning and now it’s finally starting to become accepted. The suggested age is 50,000 years old, but you can bet that’s just an agreed upon starting point and I expect that number to double or triple, maybe more.
The iron oxide on your finds is from decaying organic material, most likely mammal hide that was wrapped around it. You can see the wear impressions from the cordage and also the repetitive half circles on the bottom end that I outlined in faint blue.
Oh wow that is really awesome! I've noticed many more pieces similar to this. I've also noticed rock piles in the area and there are many many springs around.