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- Jul 22, 2008
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History made at Town Creek Indian Mound
By Rich Thompson
The timeline at Town Creek has been extended farther into the past thanks to an exciting new discovery. Excavations conducted during the week of June 22 uncovered what is now the oldest artifact in the site’s collection. Former site manager and dig volunteer Archie Smith recovered a Clovis point while sifting excavated soil. Discovery of the point indicates a human presence in the area as early as 13,000 years ago.
Archaeologists Dr. Steve Davis and Dr. Brett Riggs, both of the U.N.C. Research Labs of Archaeology, and Dr. Tony Boudreaux, East Carolina University Department of Anthropology, oversaw excavations at Town Creek June 22 – 26. This marked the first new field work conducted at the site since 1987. Approximately 50 volunteers came from across the region and as far away as Greenville, Goldsboro and Chapel Hill to assist with the dig. The non-profit support group for Town Creek, The Friends of Town Creek Inc., provided funding for the work. The objective was to reveal what was believed to be a small round structure outside the walls of the present stockade. While no features were excavated, a ring of postholes that would mark the wall of the anticipated structure were not immediately apparent. Instead, workers revealed what appeared to be two or three rows of postholes that may have marked concentrically larger stockade walls. Further analysis of the images recorded and artifacts recovered may reveal more information.
The Clovis point dates to an age known as the Paleoindian Period (ca. 13,000 B.C. to 7,900 B.C.), a time when many scientist believe humans first arrived in the Americas. The people who inhabited North Carolina at this time lived in a world where great glaciers covered much of northern North America. While glacial ice did not reach as far south as the tarheel state, the climate was considerably colder with harsh winters and cool summers. The landscape was dominated by boreal forests of jack pine and other vegetation similar to that seen in the highest elevations of western North Carolina or northern Canada. Paleoindians were nomadic people traveling in search of food sources. While they may have occasionally hunted large game including mastodon, ground sloth and bison, they probably derived most of their nutrients from deer, bear, and seasonal nuts and fruits.
For more than a thousand years, American Indians farmed lands later known as North Carolina. Around A.D. 1000, a new cultural tradition arrived in the Pee Dee River Valley. Throughout Georgia, South Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and western and southern Piedmont North Carolina, the Mississippian tradition spawned complex societies. Inhabitants built earthen mounds for their leaders, engaged in widespread trade, supported craftspeople and celebrated a new form of religion.
In 1937, excavations began at Town Creek Indian Mound. Key features of the site were reconstructed, including the mound, two temple structures, a burial hut and surrounding stockade. Archaeologists’ excavations revealed that the mound at Town Creek was constructed over an early rectangular structure known as an “earth lodge.”
The mission of Town Creek Indian Mound is to interpret the history of the American Indians who once lived here. The visitor center features interpretive exhibits, as well as audiovisual displays. A national historic landmark, Town Creek Indian Mound State Historic Site is North Carolina’s only state historic site dedicated to American Indian heritage. Tour groups are welcome and encouraged. The site is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. It is closed to the public Mondays and most major holidays.
The historic site is located on Town Creek Mound Road approximately five miles east of Mt. Gilead, in southern Montgomery County between NC 73 and NC 731. For more information on Town Creek, visit www.towncreek.nchistoricsites.org/
Rich Thompson HS Manager II, Town Creek Indian Mound SHS,
By Rich Thompson
The timeline at Town Creek has been extended farther into the past thanks to an exciting new discovery. Excavations conducted during the week of June 22 uncovered what is now the oldest artifact in the site’s collection. Former site manager and dig volunteer Archie Smith recovered a Clovis point while sifting excavated soil. Discovery of the point indicates a human presence in the area as early as 13,000 years ago.
Archaeologists Dr. Steve Davis and Dr. Brett Riggs, both of the U.N.C. Research Labs of Archaeology, and Dr. Tony Boudreaux, East Carolina University Department of Anthropology, oversaw excavations at Town Creek June 22 – 26. This marked the first new field work conducted at the site since 1987. Approximately 50 volunteers came from across the region and as far away as Greenville, Goldsboro and Chapel Hill to assist with the dig. The non-profit support group for Town Creek, The Friends of Town Creek Inc., provided funding for the work. The objective was to reveal what was believed to be a small round structure outside the walls of the present stockade. While no features were excavated, a ring of postholes that would mark the wall of the anticipated structure were not immediately apparent. Instead, workers revealed what appeared to be two or three rows of postholes that may have marked concentrically larger stockade walls. Further analysis of the images recorded and artifacts recovered may reveal more information.
The Clovis point dates to an age known as the Paleoindian Period (ca. 13,000 B.C. to 7,900 B.C.), a time when many scientist believe humans first arrived in the Americas. The people who inhabited North Carolina at this time lived in a world where great glaciers covered much of northern North America. While glacial ice did not reach as far south as the tarheel state, the climate was considerably colder with harsh winters and cool summers. The landscape was dominated by boreal forests of jack pine and other vegetation similar to that seen in the highest elevations of western North Carolina or northern Canada. Paleoindians were nomadic people traveling in search of food sources. While they may have occasionally hunted large game including mastodon, ground sloth and bison, they probably derived most of their nutrients from deer, bear, and seasonal nuts and fruits.
For more than a thousand years, American Indians farmed lands later known as North Carolina. Around A.D. 1000, a new cultural tradition arrived in the Pee Dee River Valley. Throughout Georgia, South Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and western and southern Piedmont North Carolina, the Mississippian tradition spawned complex societies. Inhabitants built earthen mounds for their leaders, engaged in widespread trade, supported craftspeople and celebrated a new form of religion.
In 1937, excavations began at Town Creek Indian Mound. Key features of the site were reconstructed, including the mound, two temple structures, a burial hut and surrounding stockade. Archaeologists’ excavations revealed that the mound at Town Creek was constructed over an early rectangular structure known as an “earth lodge.”
The mission of Town Creek Indian Mound is to interpret the history of the American Indians who once lived here. The visitor center features interpretive exhibits, as well as audiovisual displays. A national historic landmark, Town Creek Indian Mound State Historic Site is North Carolina’s only state historic site dedicated to American Indian heritage. Tour groups are welcome and encouraged. The site is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. It is closed to the public Mondays and most major holidays.
The historic site is located on Town Creek Mound Road approximately five miles east of Mt. Gilead, in southern Montgomery County between NC 73 and NC 731. For more information on Town Creek, visit www.towncreek.nchistoricsites.org/
Rich Thompson HS Manager II, Town Creek Indian Mound SHS,
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