Heaven's Half Acre (archaeological site) facts for kids

Heaven's Half Acre is a special place in Colbert County, Alabama, near the town of Leighton. It's a group of ancient sites where Paleoindian people lived long, long ago. These sites are found on old, flat areas called terraces, which look over a natural dip in the ground called a sinkhole.

What makes this place so important? More than 150 "fluted points" have been found here! These are special stone tools or spear tips used by early people. Finding so many in one spot makes Heaven's Half Acre one of the most important places in North America for studying these ancient people.

Discovering Heaven's Half Acre

This amazing place was first found by Horace Holland. He was a teacher at Colbert County High School in Leighton, Alabama. Mr. Holland loved learning about the ancient history of Alabama. He was also part of the Alabama Archaeological Society.

Mr. Holland often took his students on field trips. They would look for old artifacts, which are objects made by people long ago. The main site he discovered is called Alabama State Site 1Ct161. It's right in the middle of the Heaven's Half Acre area, on a small, worn-down hill that slopes into the sinkhole.

The Ancient Landscape

Around this main site, there are about 20 other places where fluted points have been found. These spots are on small, natural mounds that surround a large, natural pond. These mounds are about 550 to 580 feet above sea level. During the Pleistocene Period, which was a very long time ago, people living on these mounds could probably see each other easily.

The land gently rises about a thousand meters in every direction. This creates a natural bowl-shaped area where all these ancient sites are located. Since Mr. Holland's discovery, both professional and amateur archaeologists have known that many Clovis and Cumberland fluted points are found here. Almost every high spot in this area shows signs that ancient people lived there.

Studying the Sites

In the summer of 1982, archaeologists began to study site 1Ct161 more closely. The Office of Archaeological Research (OAR) and the Alabama Archaeological Society (AAS) worked together.

First Weekend of Study

During the first weekend, over 40 members of the AAS helped with a careful survey. They divided the site into four-by-four-meter squares. They collected any artifacts they found in each square. These items were then bagged and labeled. The artifacts were taken to the Alabama Museum of Natural History. There, the University of Alabama cleaned and stored them. However, these artifacts have not yet been fully studied.

Second Weekend of Study

The second weekend of study was led by Lawrence Alexander from the University of Alabama. This time, they used a backhoe to dig trenches. These trenches were placed in areas where many stone flakes (called debitage) were found. These areas were on a slight rise in the center of site 1Ct161.

The tests showed that farming had damaged the higher parts of the site. Any signs of ancient homes had been completely washed away by erosion. But on the slopes of the site, the test pits revealed something exciting. They found a 10-centimeter-thick layer of dark soil. This soil seemed to have been moved from a higher spot.

Right below this first dark layer was another 10-centimeter-thick layer of dark soil. This lower layer seemed to be untouched. In the bottom part of this layer, archaeologists found charcoal and broken stone tools. This suggests that people lived here at least as far back as the Early Archaic period.

Importance of Heaven's Half Acre

Heaven's Half Acre has given us many fluted points. It is believed that people from the Clovis culture lived here many times. However, this site has not received as much attention as other important sites in Northern Alabama. Some of these other sites include the Quad Site, Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter, and Brush Pond.

Good news! In 2020, a new team of archaeologists began studying Heaven's Half Acre. This new study is expected to provide a lot more information about these important ancient sites.

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