West Virginia Archeological Society

Annual Meeting 2005

Saturday, November 18, 2005

Buck Garden Revisited
Bob Maslowski, Milton, West Virginia.

The Buck Garden Ceramic Series was defined by McMichael in 1965 on the basis of a sample of 556 sherds. His original definition is reviewed and discussed in terms of modern Woodland chronologies. While most archeologists admit that Buck Garden is now a general term for Late Woodland in West Virginia and has little interpretive value, its use still persists and its meaning continues to be expanded. Problems with Late Woodland chronologies are discussed and solutions to these problems are presented. The paper concludes with an accurate and usable definition of Buck Garden.

The Alfred Beckley Fortification on Beaver Creek, 46 RG 1—Recent Investigations and an Update
Dave Fuerst and Frank Sellers, NPS, New River Gorge National River

During the past year, land zoning changes and a proposed mobile home park were poised to impact the likely site of a former stone enclosure known as the Alfred Beckley Fortification on Beaver Creek, or 46 RG 1, in Raleigh County. Interest in the site allowed the authors to conduct a Phase 1 investigation in October. Although a prehistoric component was identified, further archeological evidence supporting the enclosure was not found. In addition, a report was submitted to the Raleigh County Commission.

Ongoing Analytical Work at the Burning Spring Branch Site (46Ka142): Early Trends Associated with the Late Prehistoric Component.
Stevan C. Pullins, Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc., Hurricane, West Virginia.

The Burning Spring Branch Site (46Ka142) is a multicomponent site located on the Kanawha River in Kanawha County, West Virginia. Temporal components identified at the site include Late Archaic, Early Woodland, Late Woodland, and Late Prehistoric components. The Late Prehistoric component includes a palisaded village. Ongoing analysis of the data from Burning Spring Branch Site over the past year has focused on the identification of artifact attributes, the development of a comprehensive artifact database for the entire site, and the identification of temporal associations. This paper represents a progress report concerning the analysis of artifacts related to the Late Prehistoric component, and observations concerning some early trends.

West Virginia Project Archaeology Update.
Valerie J. McCormack, USDA Forest Service, Monongahela National Forest, Elkins, West Virginia.

The Council for West Virginia Archaeology (CFWVA) is developing a West Virginia Project Archeology program. Project Archaeology is a national archaeology and heritage education program for educators and their students. The main goal of Project Archaeology is to promote awareness, appreciation, and stewardship of our nation’s cultural heritage. The long-range goal of West Virginia Project Archaeology is to establish a sustainable heritage education program for students. In order to establish the West Virginia Project Archaeology program three core components must be developed: a pool of trained Facilitators, curriculum based on the state’s heritage resources, and a state handbook that presents information on prehistoric and historic cultures. Plans for the development of these components and your inclusion in its involvement will be discussed.

Education and Archaeology in the 21st Century: New Developments at Hocking College.
Annette Ericksen, Milton, West Virginia.

The Archaeology Technology Program at Hocking College is completing its eighth year of implementation. The Department of Natural Resources continues to move ever forward through the continued development of relevant and cutting-edge curricula for Cultural Resource Management education. Armed with a cohort of successful graduates and a reputation for delivering students into the business world with well-developed theoretical and practical knowledge, the program will soon graduate its first Baccalaureate class through the University of Rio Grande. This Bachelor of Science in Archaeology degree is designed to complement the unique Associate Degree in Archaeology from Hocking College, and offer students additional choices in career development.

The Ghosts of Green Bottom: Uncovering a 19th Century Plantation
Paradise Film Institute and the Huntington District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Ghosts of Greenbottom is the newly released film by the award-winning team that created Red Salt & Reynolds. The film is the result of several years of archaeological investigation of the Jenkins Plantation in Cabell County. The video tells the history of the Jenkins family in West Virginia and of Confederate General Albert Gallatin Jenkins during the Civil War. The film then turns to the recent archaeological investigations of the Jenkins plantation, focusing on identifying and interpreting lost buildings of the plantation landscape.

The Late Unpleasantness at Fayetteville: A Clash of History, Archaeology, and Development.
William D. Updike, RPA, Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc., Hurricane, West Virginia

Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc. examined 46Fa262, a reported Confederate Cemetery in 2004. The site is located south of Fayetteville on U.S. 19 within a tract of land slated for commercial development. The development has garnered much attention in the press, with the story presented that the cemetery is located on the site of the 1862 Battle of Fayetteville and contains the Confederate casualties of the battle. This presentation draws from extensive historical and archaeological research to conclude that the tract under development was not the scene of the 1862 Battle of Fayetteville, but that it may in fact be the site of a family cemetery.

Agrarian and Industrial Contact along Spruce Fork, Logan County, West Virginia: Archaeological Data Recovery at 46Lg198
Aaron O. Smith, Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc.

In 2004 and 2005 Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc. conducted archaeological investigations at 46Lg198 for Mingo-Logan Coal Company. Historic components at the site include the remains of a nineteenth and early twentieth-century agrarian habitation and an early twentieth-century industrial presence associated with the timbering industry. As the analysis of recovered data proceeds, the combination of the two components at one site will allow for a unique glimpse of the interaction between agrarian and industrial lifeways during a period of socio-economic transition in southern West Virginia.

On the Nature of Archaeological Territories.
David N. Fuerst, Department of Anthropology, University of Kentucky.

Prehistoric societies in the New World defined their territories in a completely different way than the Europeans who invaded their homeland during the 15th century. This paper examines the concept of territoriality and the nature of archaeological territories among the egalitarian groups. In addition to defining the relationship between territoriality and power strategies, it briefly discusses their implications with respect to region and scale, both of which are important aspects of archaeological research. Using the Dan River and Intermontane cultures as examples, the paper makes the case that Native American archaeological territories should be defined primarily on the basis of internal processes that were peculiar to their societies during the late prehistoric and early historic periods.