Goddard Site facts for kids

The Goddard Site is a very old archaeological spot in Brooklin, Maine. It's famous because many stone tools and other items were found there. These items came from places far away, showing that people traded a lot. The site is also known for a special coin called the Maine penny. This coin is from a Norse (Viking) country, and it's a big mystery how it got there! The Goddard Site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 because it's so important.

Exploring the Goddard Site

The Goddard Site is found on Naskeag Point. This is the very southern tip of Brooklin, Maine. It sits on the Blue Hill Peninsula, which is west of Mount Desert Island. The site has amazing views of the ocean and nearby islands. It seems like a popular place for people to gather in the summer. It was also a very important trading spot long ago.

Ancient Discoveries

Unlike other old coastal sites in Maine, this one doesn't have many shell middens. Shell middens are piles of old shells left behind by people eating shellfish. Many interesting items have been found at the Goddard Site. These items came from all over the wider region. For example, pieces of pottery were found. This pottery usually comes from places as far away as New Jersey and Nova Scotia. This shows how far people traveled to trade here.

Archaeologists also found marks in the ground. These marks were about 13 metres (43 ft) long. They were probably where a longhouse once stood. A longhouse was a large, long building where many families lived together.

The Mystery of the Maine Penny

Some very unusual things were found at the Goddard Site. One discovery was worked copper. Some of this copper came from Europe. It was found in a grave of two children from a later time period. Clay items were also found with them.

The most surprising find, however, is the Maine penny. This is a silver coin from Norse people, also known as Vikings. It dates back to the time of Olaf Kyrre, a king who ruled from 1067 to 1093 AD. This coin is very old!

People wonder how this coin got to Maine. Some think Native traders might have brought it to the site. This is because the coin was made after the known Norse settlements in North America were left.

However, there are questions about where the coin was actually found. An amateur archaeologist and coin collector said they found it at the site. But now, some experts are not so sure. The coin itself is real, but its exact discovery at the Goddard Site is debated. An archaeologist named Dr. Edmund Snow Carpenter looked into it. He had already shown that a "Viking treasure" displayed in a museum was not real. He had similar concerns about the Maine penny. He concluded that its discovery at the site was "Not proven." No other Norse items have been found at the Goddard Site.