Outdoor Education Center (OEC) Site
2000 Excavations at the OEC 1 Site
Mark A. Kollecker
Introduction
During the spring 1999 Field Experience Program, an Independence Middle School teacher recommended that the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) should investigate the Outdoor Education Center (OEC) property. Now owned by the Independence Board of education, the property was once a Nike missile site. After contacting the director of the OEC, William Taylor, one day of testing was scheduled for September 15, 1999. This testing resulted in the identification of two previously unknown archaeological sites, OEC 1 (33CU462) and OEC 2 (33CU463). Because the results of this testing were positive and encouraging, additional testing was conducted on October 26-28, 1999. Because the results of the additional testing were also positive, arrangements were made to hold the spring and fall 2000 sessions of the CMNH’s Archaeology Field Experience Program at OEC1 (33CU462). The CMNH’s summer 2000 Archaeological Field School was also held at 33CU462. The preliminary test excavations and all work associated with the Field Experience programs were directed Mark A. Kollecker, Supervisor of Field Programs. The summer Field School was directed by Brian G. Redmond, Curator and Archaeology Department Head.
OEC 1 (33CU462)
Site 33CU462 is situated in the southeast portion of the Outdoor Education Center property located in Independence, Ohio. The site sits on a portion of ridge top which is generally oriented north-south. Elevation of the site is 690 feet above mean sea level and the site appears to be bounded by that contour line. At the time of investigation, the site area was covered in secondary forest growth. Historically the area was utilized as farm land. An electric power line traverses the middle of the landform. An area of approximately 2,250 m2 has been disturbed by past mining operations, probably destroying a portion of the site. The site does not appear to extend to the northern tip of the landform and it does not continue to the south of the area owned by the Independence Board of Education. The site appears most dense in the southeast portion of the area tested.
Among the artifacts discovered were decorated pottery sherds and triangular flint arrow points. The pottery and stone tools most closely resemble artifacts made by the late prehistoric Whittlesey Tradition culture of northeast Ohio. These village-dwelling, maize-farming societies occupied the main river valleys of northeast Ohio between about A.D. 1200 and A.D. 1600.
Spring 2000 Field Experience
Between April 17 and June 5, 2000 the CMNH held its Archaeology Field Experience program at the OEC1 site. This program provides greater Cleveland area school students in grades 5 through 12 an opportunity to excavate alongside professional archaeologists on an actual prehistoric site. In the spring 2000 program, 775 students from thirteen schools participated. The goals of the spring program were to more accurately define the site boundaries and determine if any prehistoric cultural features remained intact beneath the plow zone. This would be accomplished by excavating a series of 1 m by 1 m test units across the site area at intervals no greater than 10 meters.
During the spring 2000 investigations, twenty-eight test units were excavated. These were mainly located within the southeast portion of the site area where the concentration of artifacts was greatest. In addition to recovering numerous prehistoric period artifacts, a total of ten subsurface features were encountered. These features represent prehistoric cooking and storage pits, as well as, small soil stains called “post molds” which were created when wooden house or fence posts were set into the ground. One of these features, Feature 10, represents a small pit which contained numerous fragments of an Early Woodland period vessel that is believed to date to around 500 B.C. This discovery showed that the site had been occupied as long as 2,000 years before the Whittlesey Tradition settlement was established.
Summer 2000 Field School
The CMNH held its summer 2000 Archaeological Field School at the OEC 1 site between June 19 and July 28, 2000. This six-week program allows CMNH members and college students an opportunity to gain experience in archaeological techniques by excavating an archaeological site. The goals of this program were to continue to expand the area tested during the previous spring and to sample a variety of the features identified. This was accomplished by continuing to excavate 1 m by 1 m test units at intervals no greater than 10 m across the site and also by opening up larger excavation units.
During the summer field school, a total of four 1 m by 1 m test units, two 2 m by 1 m trenches, and nine 2 m by 2 m blocks were excavated. This work revealed eleven additional subsurface features and effectively determined that the southern boundary of the site lies within the property owned by the OEC Among the features tested were a very large and deep storage pit (Feature 00-09) and a possible sweat-lodge (Feature 00-15/18). Additionally, two human burials were encountered (BF-1 and BF-2). According to CMNH policy, the burials were exposed and recorded (photographed and mapped) then covered over with soil.
Feature 00-09, the large storage pit, measured approximately 1.4 m in diameter and 2 m deep. It was completely excavated. Material recovered from Feature 9 included chert flakes and tools, numerous pottery fragments, and a variety of animal and fish bones and shell. Some of the animal bones identified include elk, deer, wild turkey, raccoon, and other small game animals. The presence of fish bones and freshwater clam shells indicates that the village inhabitants also harvested the rich aquatic resources present in the Cuyahoga River. A very unique artifact was recovered from very near the bottom of Feature 00-09. This artifact is portion of a dog skull that had been cut, ground, and drilled with fourteen symmetrically-placed holes. The significance of this artifact to its creator remains uncertain, but it is possible that it served some type of ceremonial or ritual purpose.
One other unusual artifact was recovered during the excavation of Feature 00-09. This artifact is a portion of a slate pendant which has been engraved with a series of straight and curved lines. The function of this artifact is not known, although a ceremonial or ritual use is possible. Engraved slate pendants were recovered from the near-by South Park site.
Feature 00-15 represents a small, oval pit feature that is shallow in depth. The center of this feature contains a semi-circular concentration of fire-cracked rock. A line of small post molds bordered the eastern edge of the feature, and a trench-like stain (Fea. 00-18) extended to the northeast. A possible interpretation for this feature is that it represents the remains of a sweat-lodge. Sweat lodges were regularly used among historic Native American groups. The floors of these structures would have been slightly excavated into the ground and a pile of fire-heated rocks would have been located in the center. Water poured onto the hot rocks would have produced steam in much the same way that a sauna does today.
Of the two human burials encountered, BF-2 was the only one completely exposed. This burial appears to be an adult male placed on his back with his head oriented to the east and his legs slightly drawn up. Most of the bones were in a good state of preservation. BF-1 only had a portion of cranium and one femoral head exposed. It appears that this individual was also an adult male. His head was oriented to the west. Little else can be said about BF-1 because it was not completely exposed. There were no grave goods associated with either burial. After the burials were mapped and photographed, they were reburied.
Fall 2000 Field Experience
The fall 2000 Archaeology Field Experience was held at the OEC 1 site between September 13 and October 31, 2000. A total of 925 students from eighteen schools participated in this program. The goals of this session were to continue testing across the site area with the excavation of 1 m by 1 m test units at intervals of less than 10 m. This testing was focused on the north and west portions of the site to help determine the site boundaries in these areas.
During this portion of the investigations, a total of twenty-six 1 m by 1 m test units were excavated. Besides the numerous artifacts recovered, a total of twelve subsurface features were identified. Besides post molds and small pit features, another very large and deep pit feature (Feature 00-32) was discovered. These investigations also demonstrated that the site does extend to the northern and western portions of the landform.
Feature 00-32 was encountered towards the end of these investigations. Only a portion of the feature could be excavated within the time allotted. The feature appears to be at least as large, if not larger, that the other large pit feature (Feature 00-09). Numerous animal bones and pottery sherds were recovered from this feature. Lower portions of the feature have preserved some grass which may have acted as a lining when the pit was in use.
Interpretations
The following preliminary interpretations are based on the work conducted at OEC 1, initial artifact analysis, and what is known of other similar sites in northeast Ohio. It appears that this site was primarily utilized as a village site during the late prehistoric Whittlesey Tradition culture from approximately A.D. 1200 to A.D. 1600. An Early Woodland period occupation was also identified on the basis of the pottery vessel found in Feature 00-10. The Early Woodland occupation occurred approximately 2,000 years before the main Whittlesey Tradition occupation. Also recovered was a notched projectile point which is diagnostic of the Middle Woodland period (approximately 0 B.C./A.D. to A.D. 500). The presence of this point may indicate yet another earlier occupation of the site. Very little else can be confidently said about these earlier uses of the site.
The Whittlesey Tradition people were maize farmers who occupied their villages year-round until depletion of the near-by resources caused them to move on to a new location. Village sites from this time period are known to occupy the major rivers valleys throughout northeast Ohio. In fact, a major Whittlesey Tradition site, the South. Park site (33CU8), is located on the ridge top immediately south of OEC 1.
The people who occupied the OEC 1 site planted maize in the fertile floodplain of the Cuyahoga River. They stored their harvest in large, deep, probably communal pits. They supplemented their maize crop with wild foods hunted and collected from the greater area. Game animals included elk, deer, wild turkey, raccoon, and other small game animals and birds. Aquatic resources, consisting of fish and freshwater clams, were also utilized. A variety of plant foods, including nuts, berries, roots, and tubers, rounded out their diets.
These people lived in permanent structures constructed of a frame of saplings stuck into the ground then bent over and tied together at their tops. The framework was covered with some type of material, probably bark, to protect the occupants from the weather. Fire hearths for cooking were located within the structures. Smaller storage pits were also placed within the structures. Larger, communal storage pits were located between structures. Other structures, including sweat-lodges, were scattered throughout the village. When deaths occurred, the deceased were sometimes buried under the floor of the living shelter or elsewhere in the village area. These villages were often times surrounded by a protective palisades made of large timbers. No such palisades has been identified at the OEC 1 site. The area of this site appears to be between 3-4 acres.
Conclusions
The OEC 1 site is a unique and very important resource. Numerous prehistoric sites once dotted the landscape of northeast Ohio. Today, precious few of these sites remain. They have been destroyed by a variety of factors including farming, mining, and modern development. The OEC 1 site is a remarkable exception to this trend. The extraordinary preservation of the artifacts and features at the OEC 1 site allows researchers a rare opportunity to study one of the few surviving and best preserved Whittlesey Tradition sites. A wealth of information has already been collected from the work conducted at this site. That a majority of this work has provided hundreds of greater Cleveland area school children with a unique educational opportunity is remarkable.
Acknowledgements
The Archaeology Department of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History would like to thank the Independence Board of Education and the Outdoor Education Center for their support, and we look forward to continuing our mutually rewarding association. Support for the 2000 Archaeology Field Experience Program was received from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, The Harry K. Fox and Emma R. Fox Charitable Foundation, The Laub Foundation, and the Gannett Foundation.