An Archaeology Survey of Mulberry Creek

A SARS Thesis Presentation

by Will Gulley

May 8th, 2007

Research Statement

What will an archaeological survey of Mulberry Creek yield, and how can it be connected other sites found in the region?

The Mulberry Creek region highlighted in blue.

The Catawba River and the multiple

tributaries that stem around it.

Highlighted is the Mulberry Creek Survey project

Known archaeology sites based on the Catawba River and tributaries, and the relation to the Mulberry Creek Survey.

Aerial photo the survey land, and the approximate locations of the known sites

Known Burke Phase sites. Note the lack of sites in the highlighted area

Front and back examples of Burke Phase curvilinear complicated stamped pottery.

Note the visible

soapstone temper

Temper is a substance added to

ceramics to strengthen the

vessel and allow for even

firing

An example of a full Burke Phase Curvilinear complicated stamped ceramic vessel

To the Right, an artifact as it may appear during survey

To the left, ideal conditions for surface survey work. The site to the left, however was not in my project area. Imagine the corn rows to the left stretching seven feet tall.

Plowed rows in the Berry Site field, leaving a good setup for systematic surface survey.

Gravelling is the process of shearing off the soil in fields to get to the rocks and gravel located underneath. Gravelling destroys archaeology sites, leaving behind a field full of backfill.

Coincidentally, the gravelling companies have large collections of artifacts that are rescued from atop the sifters before the rocks hit the crushers. Still, these site devourers leave nothing left behind.

Results?

Using the three methods mentioned earlier, I was able to locate and document six new archaeology sites in the Mulberry Creek Area. They are labled as MCS’s (Mulberry Creek Survey) 1-6.

Burke Phase SitesMCS 1, 2, 3, and 6 have been identified as Burke Phase archaeology sites, thanks to collections and three systematic surveys. Unfortunately due to permissions and gravelling,

site sizes were unable to be obtained entirely. MCS 6

MCS 1

MCS 2

MCS 3

Other SitesThe two remaining sites are of non-Burke phase classification

and are of earlier ceramic vessel styles, suggesting that the sites were not in use during the Burke phase period

MCS 4

MCS 5

Conclusions

Circumstantial evidence suggests that the Burke phase culture stretched across the mulberry creek area, and that the mound sites in Patterson and the Upper Yadkin can be connected to the culture of the Upper Catawba river valley. Archaeology survey work takes careful planning and concise note-taking to succeed well.

Questions???

I’d like to thank everyone for the help with this project, especially Dr. David G. Moore