1998 Field School -Paleoindian sites of the Israel River Complex II

Richard Boisvert, Deputy State Archaeologist, New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources, 1998

This year saw the return to Jefferson to continue the research on the Paleoindian sites of the Israel River Complex . We expanded on one of the excavation blocks at Jefferson II (27-CO-29) also known as the Nevers Site and established a new small block . No additional fluted pieces were recovered on the expansion effort, but we were rewarded with spurred end scrapers, not previously documented at the site, and four small charcoal rich features. The first of these was identified when Drs. Dena Dincauze (U Mass Amherst) and Lucinda McWeeney (Yale) were visiting the site. We have provided McWeeney with a large feature fill sample from one of the features with the hope that the wood species can be identified and we hope that the sample may eventually prove suitable for dating. The new excavation block proved to be very exciting as well. Patricia Tucker of Littleton was the first of the season to recover a fluted point fragment. She found the basal segment of a Barnes style point made from Munsungun chert. Subsequently, Ann Pilkovsky (wouldn't you know) found the tip of a point that was broken in the fluting process. This same area also produced a series of unifaces and exquisitely retouched flakes and remarkably large percentage of exotic raw materials. Our work on Jefferson II was clearly a resounding success.

Midway through the field season we shifted emphasis from Jefferson II to the Jefferson III (27-CO-30) site. In the fall of 1997 we had excavated a ten meter long test trench along the axis of a woods road that had been created to remove timber felled by a previous storm. The results of this testing operation revealed an intact locus that was in danger of erosion triggered by the road. In the summer field school we opened two small block excavations at either end of the test trench. Both areas were extremely productive. Phyllis Kinzie recovered the base of an unmistakable fluted point, probably of the Gainey style, similar to specimens found at the famous Bull Brook Site in Massachusetts. Steve Bayly, playing hooky from contract archaeology, succeeded in finding not one but two basal corners or "ears". Perhaps equally as interesting were the two early stage fluted preforms that were found by Rachel Booth and Michelle Johnson. These specimens will prove to be very significant in our efforts to reconstruct the manufacturing techniques employed at the Jefferson III site. Also found at the site were more than a dozen triangular end scrapers, several side scrapers and a series of retouched flake tools. This area of Jefferson III is separated from the main body of the site and is, according to our shovel test pit data, less dense than the main area. Clearly, there is a great deal more to be learned from this site.

The season ended with an enormous amount of data collected and, despite heroic efforts by Sherry Healy and the lab crews, we have an enormous amount of material left ot catalog and analyze. We will be pursuing this lab work begining in September and working through next spring. If you are interested in joining us, contact the Dick Boisvert at 271-6433. Lab will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM to 4 PM and on Wednesdays from 1 until 9 PM. No prior experience is necessary, in fact experience in the lab is one of the best preparations for novices in the field.