Archeological Exploration of Patawomeke: The Indian Town Site (44St2) Ancestral to the One (44Stl) Visited in 1608 by Captain John Smith T. DALE STEWART SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY • NUMBER 36 SERIES PUBLICATIONS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Emphasis upon publication as a means of "diffusing knowledge" was expressed by the first Secretary of the Smithsonian. In his formal plan for the Institution, Joseph Henry outlined a program that included the following statement: "It is proposed to publish a series of reports, giving an account of the new discoveries in science, and of the changes made from year to year in all branches of knowledge." This theme of basic research has been adhered to through the years by thousands of titles issued in series publications under the Smithsonian imprint, commencing with Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge in 1848 and continuing with the following active series: Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology Smithsonian Contributions to Astrophysics Smithsonian Contributions to Botany Smithsonian Contributions to the Earth Sciences Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology Smithsonian Folklife Studies Smithsonian Studies in Air and Space Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology In these series, the Institution publishes small papers and full-scale monographs that report the research and collections of its various museums and bureaux or of professional colleagues in the world of science and scholarship. The publications are distributed by mailing lists to libraries, universities, and similar institutions throughout the world. Papers or monographs submitted for series publication are received by the Smithsonian Institution Press, subject to its own review for format and style, only through departments of the various Smithsonian museums or bureaux, where the manuscripts are given substantive review. Press requirements for manuscript and art preparation are outlined on the inside back cover. Robert McC. Adams Secretary Smithsonian Institution SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY • NUMBER 36 Archeological Exploration of Patawomeke: The Indian Town Site (44St2) Ancestral to the One (44Stl) Visited in 1608 by Captain John Smith T. Dale Stewart SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION PRESS Washington, D.C. 1992 ABSTRACT Stewart, T. Dale. Archeological Exploration of Patawomeke: The Indian Town Site (44St2) Ancestral to the One (44Stl) Visited in 1608 by Captain John Smith. Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology, number 36, 96 pages, 55 figures, 23 tables, 1992.—Excavations by Judge William J. Graham and by T. Dale Stewart of die U.S. National Museum/Natural History from 1935 to 1940 at Potomac Neck in Stafford County, Virginia (site 44St2), produced evidence of a Late Woodland palisaded village (seven concentric palisade lines), enclosing an area of about 1.4 acres (0.56 ha). In the village were circular and elongate houses, plus storage pits, and three mass graves (ossuaries). The village proper dates from pre-Contact times. Two burial pits (one outside the palisade, and one that intruded into the outer palisade line) contained European trade items, indicating use of the site during post-Contact times, probably limited to a short time following die first European visit to the area by Captain John Smith in 1608. Extensive collections of cultural materials and data exemplify what Karl Schmitt in 1952 named the Potomac Creek Focus. Ceramics are predominantly Potomac Creek Cord-impressed types; projectile points are small triangles, usually of white quartz; a majority of the clay pipes are of the obtuse angle type; and there is a diversity of bone tools. Shell beads are numerous, especially in die ossuaries. Burials are predominantly secondary bundle burials, widi a few articulated flexed or extended, and even fewer cremations. Coupled widi evidence of long-term occupation of the site (e.g., six rebuildings of die palisade), there is evidence of evolving pottery types. The earliest ware equates closely widi Shepard Cord-marked type of die Piedmont Potomac valley, and diis evolves into the Potomac Creek Cord-impressed and Potomac Creek Plain wares typical of the early 17di century. OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DATE is handstamped in a limited number of initial copies and is recorded in die Institution's annual report, Smithsonian Year. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Stewart, T.D. (Thomas Dale), 1901- Archeological exploration of Patawomeke: the Indian town site (44St2), ancestral to the one (44Stl) visited in 1608 by Captain John Smith / T. Dale Stewart p. cm.—(Smithsonian contributions to anthropology ; no. 36) Includes bibliographical references. 1. Patawomeke Site (Va.) 2. Woodland Indians—Antiquities. 3. Woodland Indians—Mortuary customs. 4. Stafford County (Va.)—Antiquities. I. Title. II. Title: Archaeological exploration of Patawomeke. III. Series GN1.S54 no. 36 [E99.W84] 975.5'26-^lc20 92-28885 CIP © The paper used in this publication meets die minimum requirements of die American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48—1984. Contents Page Preface vi Introduction 1 Part I: Field Work 2 The Geographical Setting 2 Manson's and Graham's Explorations (1935-1937) 4 Multiple Burial 5 First Ossuary 6 Second Ossuary 8 Individual Burial 10 Third Ossuary 10 Fourth Ossuary 10 Field Work by Museum Parties 11 The 1938 Field Season 11 The 1939 Field Season 13 Beginning Exploration of the Fifth Ossuary 17 The 1940 Field Season 22 Back to Exploring the Fifth Ossuary 23 Mapping the Excavations 28 Features of the Site in General 35 Postholes and Structures 35 Storage Pits 37 Narrow Ditches 37 Subsistence Base 37 Part II: Cultural Remains 39 Introduction 39 Aboriginal Artifacts 39 The Ceramic Complex 39 Potomac Creek Cord-impressed Ware 42 Potomac Creek Sand-tempered Ware 46 Minority Wares 46 Rappahannock Fabric-impressed 50 Keyser Cord-marked 50 Shepard Cord-marked 51 Pope's Creek Net-marked 54 Unclassified Sherds 54 Summary 54 Tobacco Pipes: Ceramic and Lithic 54 Other Ceramic Artifacts 63 Lithic Artifacts 64 Bone and Antler Artifacts 66 Shell Artifacts and Fossil Shells 67 Cordage and Textiles 67 European Artifacts: Multiple Burial 68 A. Finds by Carl Manson 68 B. Finds by Judge Graham 71 Finds in the First Ossuary 74 Finds Common to the First Ossuary and the Multiple Burial 76 in SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY IV Part III: Mortuary Complex and Anthropometrics 80 Part IV: Conclusions (A Look Back) 92 References 94 FIGURES Frontispiece A. 1937 aerial photograph of Potomac Neck viii B. 1981 aerial photograph of Potomac Neck « 1. Map of the Tidewater Potomac River (Wilstach, 1932) 3 2. Three Maps of Potomac River, 1612, 1635, and modern 4 3. Location of Patawomeke on Smith's 1612 map 5 4. Three views of the 1935-1936 excavations by Judge Graham 6 5. Three views of Judge Graham's Ossuary 1 during excavation 7 6. Three views of Judge Graham's Ossuary 2 during excavation 9 7. Judge Graham's 35-foot squares 12 8. Sub-square numbering system employed by author 13 9. Contour map of site, July 1938 14 10. Judge Graham's trenches and finds, squares 5-8 15 11. Judge Graham's trenches and finds, squares 3, 4, 9, and 10 16 12. Judge Graham's trenches and finds, squares 1, 2, 11, and 11a 17 13. Three views of 1938 excavations, showing 5-foot squares and lines of postmolds in trenches 18 14. Three views of 1939 excavations, showing 10-foot wide trenches 19 15. North end of die 10-foot wide trench late in the 1939 season 20 16. View of site from creek-end of wire fence in September 1940 and part of contents of Ossuary 5, just before the close of the 1939 season 21 17. Two stages in die exposure of bones in the eastern end of Ossuary 5 22 18. Ossuary 5 23 19. Three sequential views of Ossuary 5 during 1940 excavation 24 20. Additional sequential views of Ossuary 5 during 1940 season 25 21. Two sequential views of last bones exposed in Ossuary 5 27 22. Outline of Ossuary 5 showing the positions of arrangements of the articu lated skeletons 28 23. Composite map of excavations, showing trenches and tests by Judge Graham and by the U.S. National Museum parties 33 24. Final map of site, showing major features recorded 34 25. The only restorable vessels from the Potomac Creek site 45 26. Vertical sections of 10 rim sherds of Potomac Creek Cord-impressed type . . 46 27. Potsherds of Potomac Creek Cord-impressed ware 47 28. Rimsherds of Potomac Creek Cord-impressed type 48 29. Additional rimsherds, Potomac Creek Cord-impressed type 49 30. Design motifs of rim sherds, Potomac Creek ware 50 31. Six miniature vessels and ladle of Potomac Creek Sand-tempered ware . . .. 51 32. Eight sherds of Rappahannock Fabric-impressed ware 52 33. Three types of introduced wares: Keyser Cord-marked; Shepard Cord-marked; and Pope's Creek Net-marked 53 34. Twelve pipes from die Judge Graham collection from Patawomeke 59 35. Pipe bits showing the range of variation 60 36. Photomicrographs of latex casts of tiiree pipe bowl decorations 61 37. Designs from on six pipe fragments 62 38. Designs from five pipe stem fragments 62 39. Additional decorations from pipe fragments 63 NUMBER 36 40. Silver dram cup or wine taster recovered by Hanson from multiple burial in 1935 69 41. Schmitt's memory sketch of the "star-shaped ornament" from the multiple burial 70 42. Krauwinckel counters (or jetons) copied from Bernard's 1916 publication . . . 71 43. Rolled-out drawing of maker's mark on trade pipestem 72 44. Bone double-tooth comb from multiple burial 73 45. Two views of four metal buttons from multiple burial 74 46. Two strings of glass beads and the copper chain from multiple burial, and a shell/ bead strand, 1st ossuary 75 47. Two views of flushloop trade bells 78 48. Scissors from multiple burial, as found, in X-ray, and as reconstructed . . .. 79 49. Scissors from 1st ossuary, as found, in X-ray, and as reconstructed 79 50. Four views of a large adult male cranium from the multiple burial 80 51. Drawings of four adult male crania from Ossuary 1 82 52. Drawings of four adult male crania from Ossuary 1 83 53. Drawings of two adult female crania from Ossuary 1 84 54. Cut marks on five post-cranial bones, Ossuary 5 91 55. Three abnormal long bones, Ossuary 1 91 TABLES 1. List of skeletons in fifth ossuary with their individual characteristics 29 2. Ceramics from Museum excavations, 1938-1940 42 3. Rim sherds from Museum excavations 1938-1940 43 4. Body sherds from Museum excavations 1938-1940 44 5. 1988 re-analysis of pottery temper and surface treatments 54 6. 1988 re-analysis of ceramic decorative techniques 55 7. 1988 analysis of cordage shown on ceramics 55 8. 1988 analysis of rims and rim treatments 55 9. 1988 analysis of rim tempering vs. decoration and surface treatment 56 10. Frequency of pipe traits by collection (by Karl Schmitt) 57 11. 1988 re-analysis of clay pipes 58 12. Projectile point types, Stewart and Graham collections 65 13. Types of glass beads (Kidd and Kidd, 1970) 77 14. Measurements and indices of 46 male crania from Ossuary 2 85 15. Measurements and indices of 38 female crania from Ossuary 2 86 16. Measurements and indices of six crania from Ossuary 3 87 17. Measurements and indices of 15 male crania from Ossuary 5 87 18. Indices of 10 female crania from Ossuary 5 88 19. Measurements of faces of four crania from Ossuary 5 88 20. Age and sex distributions, Ossuary 5 88 21. Patiiologies and trauma, Ossuary 5 89 22. Abstracts of cranial measurements and indices by ossuary at Patawomeke ... 89 23. Patawomeke cranial indices compared 90 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY VI Preface Several things that culminated in this publication are worth explaining in advance of the body of the text, because otherwise the organization of this report will not be immediately apparent. As it is an archeological operation being reported, the first thing to note is that the field work involved underwent an evolutionary course between the years 1935 and 1940. This five-year period divides naturally into two major parts, marked by the death in November 1937 of Judge William J. Graham. Beginning in 1935, he headed a small group of local avocational archeologists, who thus became the first modern explorers of the site. The second part of the period began in 1938, when I took over the project for three seasons of excavations (1938-1940), aided by a succession of field parties working for the U.S. National Museum (now the National Museum of Natural History). Gradually, during the second period, it became apparent to me that I had not seen important elements of Judge Graham's collection from the site. I realized that it would only be from these specimens, together with the two places where they were found, that I would be able to learn the true age and identities of the site. Especially significant in this connection were a variety of European artifacts, found by Judge Graham and his helpers, that really connected the palisaded village site with the arrival of Captain John Smith in 1608. The work of filling in the details of this approach to the site's history became the objective of the long writing period following 1940. Unfortunately, preparation of this report of necessity had low priority over the years after 1942. From that year until 1961, I served as Curator of the Division of Physical Anthropology, and later as Director, of the National Museum of Natural History, and the demands of administrative work forced me to set aside the report. Upon returning to the Department of Anthropology in 1966, I had hoped to finish the report quickly, but unavoidable demands kept absorbing my time. Finally, late in 1978, seven years after retirement, I once more took up the report and slowly carried it nearer to completion. Final work began on the manuscript in 1982. Almost immediately, I came down with herpes zoster of my left trigeminal nerve and since then have had reduced vision. Although I still come to the office almost daily, my work output has slowed noticeably. As a key element in the overall report, I counted on using the excellent artifact analyses compiled by Karl Schmitt. His work, added to my own report as the project director and as a physical anthropologist, make up the bulk of this report. In the early 1980s, I had been working on the report for some 40 years, and I saw a need to finalize it and ready it for publication. I edited the manuscript for unnecessary or redundant details, and thereby reduced it to the essential archeological findings and what they revealed of the Patawomekes when first met by Europeans. Comments from colleagues pointed out some gaps in aspects of the report and also recommended that the analyses and descriptions be updated, especially with reference to more current researches in the Potomac valley. To this end, Ms. Christine Jirikowic (graduate student at The American University, Washington, D.C.) was hired to review the artifact collection, not only from the 1935-1940 work, but also collections previously made at the site during the past century. Her analysis and descriptive details are added to the report, where indicated, as are the original details by Schmitt. Other elements of the report have benefited from the work of Howard A. MacCord, Sr., who has been active in Virginia archeology since the 1930s. He had known Judge Graham and had had a long and close archeological relationship with Carl Manson. Many other people provided me with help in important ways during the field work and the manuscript preparation. Their contributions are acknowledged at various points in the text. NUMBER 36 The following report incorporates the archeological efforts made at site 44St2, plus a description and interpretation of the results of that work. Because the archeological work was done almost 50 years ago, the report of it is obviously "dated," with many gaps and possible errors, when viewed from today's perspective. However, the data are still valuable and I have been urged by many workers in this field to publish my account. Unfortunately, little if anything more can be added to this study by means of further excavations owing to the fact that much of the site has been subdivided and houses have been built on it. T Dale STEWART Smithsonian Institution Washington, D.C. SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY Vlll FRONTISPIECE A.—1937 aerial photograph of Potomac Neck (lower left) and Marlboro(ugh) Point (right), Stafford County, Va., from 5000 feet (1500 m), looking northwest. Accokeek Creek is on the left, Potomac Creek at the bottom right, and the Potomac River above and upper right. Indian Point, at the end of Potomac Neck, is out of sight at the bottom left. The reported site excavations were crossed by the fence row approaching Potomac Creek to the right of Indian Point. The site of Colonial Marlborough is at the bend to the right of the roadway running down the Neck parallel with the river. (U.S. Marine Corp photograph.)