Paw Paw Cove Site facts for kids

The Paw Paw Cove Site is a special place in Talbot County, Maryland. It is an archaeological site, which means it's a place where people find old things from the past. This site is located right on the coast of the Chesapeake Bay.

Scientists first found this site in 1979. It's actually made up of three different spots along about 500 meters (or 1,640 feet) of shoreline. Here, they discovered stone tools and other items. These items are very old, dating back to about 11,500 to 10,500 years Before the Common Era (BCE). That means they are over 13,000 years old!

Discovering Ancient Tools

At Paw Paw Cove, archaeologists found interesting stone tools. These include special spear points called "fluted projectile points." These points have grooves or "flutes" carved into them. They were likely used by ancient people for hunting.

Scientists also found small pieces of stone called "flakes." These flakes are leftovers from when people made the fluted points. Finding both the tools and the flakes helps experts understand how these ancient tools were created.

Why Paw Paw Cove is Important

The Paw Paw Cove Site helps us learn about the very first people who lived in Maryland. The tools found here show that people were living in this area a very long time ago. They were likely hunting and gathering food along the Chesapeake Bay.

Learning about these ancient cultures helps us understand human history. It shows how people adapted to their environment thousands of years ago.

Protecting the Site

The Paw Paw Cove Site is so important that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. This is a list of places in the United States that are important to history. Being on this list helps protect the site.

Today, the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy owns this land. This group works to protect important natural and historical places. They make sure that sites like Paw Paw Cove are preserved for future generations to study and learn from.