Fernald Point Prehistoric Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Fernald Point Prehistoric Site
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Southwest Harbor, Maine |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000164 |
| Added to NRHP | July 21, 1978 |
The Fernald Point Prehistoric Site is an amazing archaeological site located in Acadia National Park in Maine. It's a special place where scientists have found clues about people who lived there thousands of years ago! The most important part of the site is a large pile of ancient trash, mostly made of seashells, called a shell midden.
Archaeologists have dug here and found old tools, pottery, and other items. These discoveries show that people lived at Fernald Point as far back as 1000 BCE. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 because of its historical importance.
What is the Fernald Point Site?
Fernald Point is found in the town of Southwest Harbor, Maine. It sits on the western side of Somes Sound. This sound is a body of water that splits Mount Desert Island into two big parts. The point itself is on land that belongs to the National Park Service. This means it is part of Acadia National Park.
Discovering Ancient Life at Fernald Point
A big study of the site happened in 1977. Dr. David Sanger, an archaeologist from the University of Maine at Orono, led this work. He described his work as a "salvage operation." This means they had to dig quickly to save important items. The site was slowly being washed away by rising sea levels. This has been happening since the end of the last Ice Age. To protect the site, a seawall has since been built.
What Did Archaeologists Find?
The archaeologists made some very important discoveries at Fernald Point. They found parts of at least two ancient house sites. One of these was already quite worn away by the ocean. They also found eight human burials. One group of four graves was placed very carefully within the shell midden. This way of burying people is quite rare along the coast of Maine.
The items found at the site tell us a lot about the people who lived there. They suggest that people first lived here around 1000 BCE. Some older dates, up to 2000 BCE, were also found. The busiest time for people living at Fernald Point was between 1 CE and 1300 CE.
Besides huge amounts of shells (mostly from soft-shell clams), the midden also showed what people ate. They ate many different kinds of animals, including mammals, birds, and fish. Archaeologists also found small pieces of clay pottery. Even though they were just fragments, these pieces helped scientists see how pottery styles changed over time.
