The Feature of this Display? Artifacts!

By Racheal Myers. ENGL 336.002

The undecidedly cold-warm, cloudy-sunny day that was Saturday September 17, 2011 marked the second day of the 6^th annual Appalachian Festival at Frostburg State University. The festival, a celebration of the culture of Western Maryland and its surrounding states, took place on the upper quad of the campus and showcased live performances, food stuffs and displays important to this culture. Fellow festival attendee Vince Morton Jr. described the event as “enriching”. For someone who has not been exposed to Western Maryland culture, the twang of banjos echoing through the pavilions housing patron’s wares, and the sight of two enormous goats being walked on leashes across the upper quad could have been a little off-putting. However, the smell of kettle corn, crab cakes and hot apple cider brought about a homey feeling that put the daunted at ease again.

In keeping with the spirit of exploring the culture of Western Maryland, at the top most section of the upper quad, stood a modest tent dedicated to the Western Maryland Chapter of the Archeological Society of Maryland, INC. On display in their tent were treasures of Native American cultures that, while all but snuffed out, are still a significant part of the story of Western Maryland. The main focus of the exhibit was the Barton Farm site, a now protected archeological preserve, located off of route 956. The gentlemen overseeing the display, President of the Western Maryland chapter, Roy Brown, and chapter member, Brent Chippendale have been digging on the Barton site since 1991, while Vice President of the chapter, Gary Grant, has been digging there for most of his life, even before it became a protected area. Indeed, most of the treasures that lined the tables came from Grants childhood excavations. Since he found the treasures before they were protected, he was able to hold on to the pieces of history. Now, whatever is found at the site is carefully cataloged and either put into an archive, or given to Universities for study.

From what these archeologists can tell, the Barton site was inhabited by numerous Native American tribes from the 1700 to as early as 12, 000 years ago. As Chippendale explains it, the tribes that occupied this spot are divided into two groups, contact and pre-contact. The contact category contains the tribes that had interaction with the early settlers and are more likely to have official names and written histories, whereas with the pre-contact tribes, as Chippendale says “the only thing we know about them is their artifacts”. Of the contact tribes, the Susquehannock and Page people are the most settled in the Barton site. There are several pre-contact tribes that have been given names based on where similar types of artifacts related to these people have been found, such as the Keyser people, named after Keyser, West Virginia.

In the portable wood and glass cases along the table were several different types of objects, which Chippendale labeled artifacts and features. Artifacts, he explained, are “things you can hold in your hand”, like the many projectile points (arrow heads), pottery shards and beads that were on display. Features , like bone fragments, and pieces of charred nuts are the smaller, delicate pieces that are found by running water over a screen containing excavated soil. The Barton site contained many well preserved features, due to its high soil quality.

By paying attention to the differences in the making of the artifacts found at the Barton site, the archeologists were able to deduce the distinct tribes that crossed through the area, as well as the trade patterns that may have occurred. By looking at the rock type that made up a projectile point, as well as the indentations that were made from creating the point, Grant can tell that the Clovis people were at one point at the Barton site. The different colored beads found at the site revealed that there was trade from the gulf coast based on the shells beads were made from, and New York, from the red color of other beads.

If interested in finding out more about the Native American heritage in this part of the state, The Western Maryland Chapter or the Archeological Society of Maryland periodically hosts excavations at the Barton site that require volunteers from the public. The weekend of September 24 and 25 is the last one for this month, but there will be more excavations in the coming months, as there are still 13 levels (each level is about 10 centimeters deep) that need to be uncovered. For more information on the Barton site, and future excavations open to the public, go to http://www.marylandarcheology.org/chapters.php and select Western Maryland Archaeological Society.