Perry Land Lab 3 Site

Excavations at the Perry Land Lab 3 Site
Mark A. Kollecker

Student excavators at the Perry Land Lab 3 site

There used to be quite a few prehistoric sites located in northern Ohio, but many have been destroyed over the years by construction and farming. It is a rare opportunity to get a chance to study one of the few sites that remain. Nearly 1,500 students from the greater Cleveland area had that opportunity when they helped Cleveland Museum of Natural History archaeologists excavate the Perry Land Lab 3 site as a part of the Archaeology Field Experience program. When you only have a few hours in the field to excavate and all you find are a few flint artifacts, it is sometimes hard to see the point of all this work. This brief report summarizes the results of the work conducted by these young scientists.

The Perry Land Lab 3 site was identified in the fall of 2000 when a team of archaeologists from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History tested several locations within the Perry School Land Lab. A few flint flakes, a by-product of stone tool manufacturing, were found in some of the 50 cm by 50 cm test units excavated. The site was more intensively excavated in the fall of 2001 when the Museum’s Archaeology Field Experience program was held there. Over 700 students from 17 northern Ohio schools participated in this investigation. Twenty 1 meter by 1 meter units, spaced no farther than 10 meters apart, were excavated across the site area. Numerous flint flakes and one flint tool fragment, possibly dating to the Archaic period (approximately 8,000-1,000 B.C.), were collected. No subsurface features such as fire hearths, storage pits, or post molds were identified.

Stone tool remains

Investigations began again in the fall of 2003 when the Field Experience program returned to the site. More than 700 area students participated in this phase of the program. The goals of this investigation were to define the site boundaries, determine during which time period the site was occupied, and determine if undisturbed subsurface features existed. Towards these ends, twenty-three 1 meter by 1 meter test units were excavated across the site area, generally at five meter intervals. The first series of these units were excavated along the E495 line (see map), five meters to the west of where the 2001 excavations ended. The large number of flint flakes found in these units suggested that the site may extend to the west. As it turned out, the newly excavated units contained little or no cultural material thereby defining the western site boundary. An examination of the land form revealed two small protrusions extending to the north and overlooking a small, ephemeral stream. These spots seemed ideal for prehistoric campsites, so the remainder of the project concentrated on investigating these areas. Flint flakes were found in both areas with the eastern point producing the highest concentration. Only one additional flint tool fragment was collected and no subsurface features were noted.

Even though only a small amount of artifacts were found, we still learned a lot about the site and the people who lived there. The site probably was a small, prehistoric campsite. It is difficult to date the site because no artifacts that positively identify the time period during which the site was used were found. Because of the style of the two flint tool fragments and the total lack of any pottery, it seems most likely that the site was used during the Archaic period (approximately 8,000-1000 B.C.).

Spatial distribution of stone tool debris

The distribution of the flint flakes collected shows that two areas within the site were more heavily used than others. Greater numbers of flint flakes were found around N515 E510 and within the western ridge tip. One flint tool fragment was found within each of these concentrations. Perhaps these areas were locations where prehistoric people made their flint tools. Studying the flint flakes, we found that almost all were made from a grayish flint that is full of fossils. This flint was probably deposited by glaciers and was collected locally by the prehistoric people who lived at the site. The flakes are all small in size and probably were made when people resharpened their dull or broken spear points and knives. The larger, diamond-shaped tool is probably a knife or spear head. The other piece is too badly broken to figure out exactly what type of tool it was. The site may have been used often over a long period of time, but each use was probably only for a short stay because no subsurface features such as storage pits or fire hearths were present. Even though no post molds were identified, the people who stayed at the site probably lived in some type of wig-wam like shelters. Evidence of the posts used to support these shelters may have been destroyed by plowing or else were too temporary to leave lasting traces. Hunting and/or collecting plant foods were probably the main activities of the people who lived at this site.

Archaeology is a process where lots of small bits of information are combined to create a picture of life in the past. Students who spend one day at a site working with the Field Experience program may find a few artifacts, but rarely do they understand the importance their work makes to the final outcome of the project. Nearly 1,500 students from 32 schools contributed to the success of this project. Thanks to their help, we now know a little more about the prehistoric people who once lived in Ohio.