Hardaway Site facts for kids
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Hardaway Site
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Distant view from southwest
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| Nearest city | Badin, North Carolina |
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| NRHP reference No. | 84002529 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | March 1, 1984 |
| Designated NHL | June 21, 1990 |
The Hardaway Site is a very old and important place near Badin, North Carolina. It's an archaeological site, which means it's where scientists study human history by digging up old things. This site has many layers, showing people lived there for a very long time. Some of the oldest things found here are about 10,000 years old! The Hardaway Site helps archaeologists understand how old other discoveries are in the eastern United States. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1990.
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What is the Hardaway Site?
The Hardaway Site sits on a rocky ridge. It looks over Badin Lake. The site covers two small hills and the dip between them.
This special site has four main layers of human history. These layers are found above a natural layer of clay. Each layer shows clear signs that people lived and worked there.
What did people do there?
Archaeologists found many things in these layers. They found stone-lined fire pits, called hearths. They also found lots of stone pieces left over from making tools. These leftover pieces are called debitage.
The top layer of the site has been changed over time. Native Americans lived there during colonial times. Later, farmers plowed the land.
How was the Hardaway Site discovered?
An amateur archaeologist first found the site in 1937. Professional digging, called excavation, began in 1948. The University of North Carolina (UNC) led this first dig. They worked with the landowner, which was a company that later became Alcoa.
Studying the past
From 1948 to 1958, scientists carefully explored the site. It was sometimes hard to dig because of the rocky ground. In 1964, a report was published about the finds. This report helped archaeologists understand the types of tools and the timeline of the site. This information is still very important today.
By 1980, over seven metric tons of artifacts had been found. That's like finding more than 15,000 pounds of old items! Alcoa owned all the artifacts at first. But in 2005, Alcoa gave over 1.3 million artifacts to UNC. Now, students and scientists can study them to learn even more about the past.
