Beaver Meadow Complex Prehistoric Archeological District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Beaver Meadow Complex Prehistoric Archeological District
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| Location | Peoples State Forest, Barkhamsted, Connecticut |
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| Area | 400 acres (160 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000858 |
| Added to NRHP | September 21, 1988 |
The Beaver Meadow Complex Prehistoric Archeological District is a special area in Peoples State Forest in Barkhamsted, Connecticut. It's a collection of eight different places where archaeologists found clues about ancient people. These sites are all located around a swampy area called Beaver Meadow.
Scientists used a method called radiocarbon dating to find out how old the things they found were. This showed that people lived here a very long time ago. They were here during the Archaic Period and the Middle and Late Woodland Periods. These are names for different times in North American history before Europeans arrived.
Teams from Central Connecticut State University discovered these sites. They explored the area between 1983 and 1985. This work was part of a bigger project to study the Farmington River valley in Connecticut.
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What Was Found at Beaver Meadow?
The archaeological sites are located around the edges of Beaver Meadow. This is a large, wet area in the middle of the state forest. During the surveys in the 1980s, many interesting objects were found.
Tools and Materials
Archaeologists found a lot of stone tools. They also found projectile points, which are like arrowheads or spear points. Another common find was debitage. This is the leftover bits of stone from when people made tools.
These tools and pieces were made from different kinds of stone. Some were made from flint, slate, quartz, and hornfels. The large number and types of tools suggest something important. People might have lived here for long periods during certain seasons. This is different from other ancient camps in the region. Those camps were usually just temporary hunting spots near rivers.
Signs of Ancient Life
The archaeologists also found places where ancient fires burned. These are called hearth features. Inside these hearths, they discovered burned seeds and nuts. This tells us that people cooked and ate food here. It also gives us clues about what they ate.
The discoveries at Beaver Meadow help us understand how ancient people lived. It shows that some groups settled in areas away from major rivers. They used the resources found in places like Beaver Meadow.
A Protected Historic Site
Because of its importance, the Beaver Meadow Complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. This means it's a special place that is protected. It helps us learn about the history of Connecticut and the people who lived there long ago.
