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- Title
THE NEAL GARRISON PALEOINDIAN SITE, YORK COUNTY, MAINE.
- Authors
Kellogg, Douglas C.
- Abstract
A Paleoindian occupation was discovered at the Neal Garrison historic site (ME-143-006) in Eliot, York County, Maine. This unanticipated prehistoric component was found during evaluation of the historic component at the site, undertaken by John Milner Associates, Inc. (JAM) for the Portland Natural Gas Transmission System (PNGTS) in conjunction with the latter's construction of a natural-gas pipeline. A lithic material type preferred during the Paleoindian period in Maine, and unifacial tools diagnostic of the Paleoindian period, were recovered from both shovel test units and larger test units. Supplemental evaluation of the site determined that prehistoric occupation was limited to a sand deposit on the margin of the site landform. Excavations were conducted within the pipeline right--of-way (ROW) since the pipeline could not be rerouted for other reasons. Excavations recovered cultural material within the ROW, along with numerous samples for radiocarbon, sedimentological, phytolith, soil micromorphological, and other specialized analyses. Over 500 debitage flakes were recovered along with 24 tool fragments. The vast majority of the lithic material is Munsungun chert, known to crop out over 300 kilometers to the north; indeed, all but one tool was made from Munsungun chert. The tools are characteristic of Paleoindian period occupations in the region that used fluted points. A channel flake fragment suggests that at least one fluted point was manufactured at the site. Three clusters of cultural material were identified. Two clusters combine to form one "locus, " which was almost completely excavated within the pipeline ROW. Another locus may be present to the north of the pipeline ROW. The site is comparable to other small Paleoindian sites known in eastern coastal Maine. The presence of Munsungun chert in such high percentages so far from the likely source suggests that Paleoindian peoples in the region were highly mobile, and adds support to the hypothesis for a distinctive Paleoindian period occupation of the New England-Maritimes region. The unexcavated portion of the site was marked and pipeline construction was monitored to ensure that the remainder of the site was avoided.
- Subjects
YORK County (Me.); MAINE; PALEO-Indians; HISTORIC sites; ARCHAEOLOGICAL excavations; NATIVE Americans; MATERIAL culture
- Publication
Archaeology of Eastern North America, 2003, Vol 31, p73
- ISSN
0360-1021
- Publication type
Article