For yakker: Jacks Reef Points

[Charl]

For yakker: Jack's Reef Points

Here are some examples of this classic point type from Rhode Island. They are usually made of either jasper(from Pa. or RI) or hornfels, a metavolcanic common in New England that flakes well. And the Jack's Reef people seem to have insisted on quality lithics....

First photos are jasper; the speckled piece is oolithic chert, source is in Pa., and the remainder are hornfels. The very last point is a Jack's Reef Pentagonal, which can be seen as an un-notched Jack's Reef Corner Notch.

 

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[yakker]

Thanks Charl- that last one looks like one of my 'suspect' paleo candidates.
Here are some of my Jack's Reefs. 3 broken ones- which hurt my heart... and my 'Leaning Jacks' (I actually ws wondering if they were a point type of their own-but I guess not.





And I'm happy to open this thread up to anyone else who want to display their wares- if they're Jack's (1-eye'd or otherwise ) HH! Yak

 

[ncnurseryman]

Sweet points!

 

[Twitch]

That Vera Cruz Jasper is nice stuff! Nice finds.

 

[Charl]

Those are great, yakker. I like your "leaning" variants. We do have a recognized variety of the corner notch style up here called the "thunderbird form". I've never found any, but here's what they look like. They must just be resharpened at times that way, but enough are found stubby and that form that they are called by that name. Anyway, thanks for the share and if anyone wants to add their's, by all means....

 

[yakker]

I can see why they'd call it a Thunderbird variant. Very cool. Thanks for all your help- Yak

 

[Wyoming Valley Relics]

awesome picks guys . one of my most favorite type of points. Because i live so close to where the jasper comes from i love finding ones made of Onondaga. I recently found a hearth i know is from the Jacks reef time period , hope i find something worth posting. HH

 

[Charl]

awesome picks guys . one of my most favorite type of points. Because i live so close to where the jasper comes from i love finding ones made of Onondaga. I recently found a hearth i know is from the Jacks reef time period , hope i find something worth posting. HH

Thanks. Probably my favorite style as well. Seems like you can count on good material and very well made almost every time.

 

[yakker]

So it would seem- about the quality of material and workmanship. Man, I'm learning so much here right now (I wish there were an emocon for 'poof' mind blowing!) It's like every post is a little tutorial. So grateful. Happy Hunting everyone! Yakker

 

[Charl]

So it would seem- about the quality of material and workmanship. Man, I'm learning so much here right now (I wish there were an emocon for 'poof' mind blowing!) It's like every post is a little tutorial. So grateful. Happy Hunting everyone! Yakker

It's really noticeable here, yakker, because in general the materials available and most often used regionally and locally in southeastern New England were poor- quartz and argillite a lot. Some attractive felsites, but not the easiest stuff to work. Rhyolite. Then you get to the people who made these points about 1500 years ago, and jasper, jasper, jasper.
A lot from Pa. And some from a deposit in northern RI. Hornfels was second choice. Not attractive like jasper, but the best flaking of the metavolcanics, so nice thin points could be made. Collectors here have long been told that these were the first true arrowheads in New England, that is the first points used with a bow and arrow. I wish all the cultures here had used only nice material, but because they didn't(with exceptions naturally), the Jack's a reef points really stand out because the people who made them seem to insist on jasper a lot.

 

[theviking]

Great artifacts and info folks. The one on the right is the only example I know found in my immediate area. It was found across the south fork of the Shenandoah river from where I live, found by a good friends grandpa. I have no idea what the material is, but it sure is nicer than the average material for my area. Thanks again for the show, H.H.

 

[Tnmountains]

Here are its southern cousins. Broken base,Jacks Reef and the Jacks reef pentagonal. Sorry for the cruddy pics.

 

[yakker]

Good examples Viking and TN! Really nice- TN! Viking- I've been investigating a lot- in my search for a home/property in VA. It's been a little hard to swallow that in the area I'll be, there were so many devastating floods (Camille, for one HUGE example), I guess a lot of creek-type artifacts were simply washed away (probably all lurking in the Richmond area, deeply embedded in the James silt). I never had to think about all that before- the amazing mud slides and massive floods the Blue Ridge has suffered. An eye-opener to be sure. It's going to be a whole new game down there for sure!

Thanks both- for the show! Yakker

 

[yakker]

It's really noticeable here, yakker, because in general the materials available and most often used regionally and locally in southeastern New England were poor- quartz and argillite a lot. Some attractive felsites, but not the easiest stuff to work. Rhyolite. Then you get to the people who made these points about 1500 years ago, and jasper, jasper, jasper.
A lot from Pa. And some from a deposit in northern RI. Hornfels was second choice. Not attractive like jasper, but the best flaking of the metavolcanics, so nice thin points could be made. Collectors here have long been told that these were the first true arrowheads in New England, that is the first points used with a bow and arrow. I wish all the cultures here had used only nice material, but because they didn't(with exceptions naturally), the Jack's a reef points really stand out because the people who made them seem to insist on jasper a lot.

I grew up in Fairfield Co. CT, and never once found a point for all the 20+ years I lived there! My neighbors- the kids were Very into looking for such things, and amid the usual play and 'fort building', we always kept an eye out, and always failed. It always struck me as interesting that in a place where every other town/county/road/area name is Native American, that so little remained behind in terms of artifacts or debitage. And on the lake in Maine- all I ever found were lures... Just goes to show that every region has its challenges and 'techniques' for hunting artifacts. The area I'm currently in is simply amazing, so long as one knows where to look. Virginia (my destination) will offer a whole new set of challenges, I'm certain. Thank you so much for this information! HH- Yak

 

[Tnmountains]

If I was moving to Virginia I would not hesitate to get a metal detector. It opens up a whole new world of hunting. We used to have a member here called Thirty7 he hunted in Virginia and did very well, He played the flooding and such to his advantage. He often found many nice example in a very dark colored flint. You might want to look up some of his old post. He was a great guy. Good luck!