Potomac Creek, 44ST2 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Potomac Creek Site
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Site overview
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Nearest city	Brooke, Virginia
Area	0 acres (0 ha)
NRHP reference No.	69000281
Added to NRHP	December 3, 1969

The Potomac Creek Site, also known as 44ST2, is an ancient Native American village. It is located on the Potomac River in Stafford County, Virginia. People lived here during the Woodland period (around 1300 to 1550 AD).

There was another Potomac Creek site, called 44ST1 or Indian Point. The Patawomeck people lived there later, and Captain John Smith visited it. That site no longer exists, as it has washed away into the river. At site 44ST2, archaeologists found five large burial pits called ossuaries, plus other burials. The site was also known as Potowemeke or Patawomeke. Key features include unique pottery, these special burial sites, and villages surrounded by strong wooden walls called palisades.

Exploring the Potomac Creek Village

Life at Potomac Creek changed over time. Experts divide its history into three main periods. The people wanted to protect their way of life and their land. So, they built a strong, well-protected village.

First Period: Building Defenses

The earliest part of the village dates back to about 1300 AD. The village was protected by a wall and a ditch, like a moat. This shows that safety was very important to these people.

The first part of the village had an outer palisade wall. This wall went all the way around the village. It also had many bastions, which are parts of the wall that stick out. These helped defenders see and protect the wall better. There were likely several palisade walls built close together. This made the village harder to attack and created tricky entrances. The village was about 85 meters (279 feet) wide. About 250 to 300 people could live inside comfortably.

Second Period: A Changing Village

This period started around 1400 AD and lasted until about 1560 AD. The village became smaller during this time. The enclosed area was about 74 meters (243 feet) wide. It seems the site was no longer a home for many people. Instead, it might have had a special purpose. There were fewer bastions and no ditch. This suggests that the people felt safer and didn't need as many defenses.

One of the ossuaries (Ossuary 2) might be from this time. A building in the center of the village was probably the main structure. Ossuaries 3 and 5 were next to this building. They are also thought to be from this period.

Third Period: Moving On

This stage dates from about 1560 to 1650 AD. During this time, the people left site 44ST2. They started living at site 44ST1 instead. Site 44ST2 was then used mostly for ossuary burials. Ossuaries 1 and 4 are from this time. The things found at site 44ST1 were similar to 44ST2. But 44ST1 had more items from Europeans.

Burials at Potomac Creek

Archaeologists found several types of burials at the site. These included large group burials called ossuaries, a multiple burial, and an individual burial.

Multiple Burial Discovery

This group burial was found on December 1, 1935. It was in a corn field at the Indian Village site. The burial pit was round and about 2 to 2.5 feet deep. Ten skeletons were found there. All the skeletons were within a five-foot square. However, they were buried separately, at different times. Many beads were found, mostly small shell disks. Some red, blue, and green glass beads were also present. This burial included both adults and children. The large number of European items suggests this burial happened late in the village's history, or even after it was left.

Individual Burial Discovery

On May 16, 1937, bones were found in a test pit. It was about 110 feet from Ossuary 2. At first, they thought it was another ossuary. But it was just one human skeleton, a young adult male. The skeleton was not complete, and some parts had been burned. Part of a dog skeleton was also found in the burial. The archaeologist at the time, Judge Graham, did not think this grave was very important. He did not study the bones much.

Ossuary 1: A Large Group Burial

The first ossuary was found on March 21, 1936. Bones were seen near a groundhog hole. This site was 100 feet northeast of the multiple burial. Archaeologists believe there were 181 skeletons in this ossuary. Work continued here for over a year, until April 1937. It was oval-shaped, about 37.5 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 5 feet deep.

A special thing about this ossuary was how it was divided. Groups of skeletons were separated by layers of dirt. Skeletons of men, women, and children of all ages were found. Not all skeletons were laid flat. Some were "secondary burials," which means bundles of bones that had been moved after the body decomposed. Burned bones were also found in three different spots. One skull was filled with soft yellow sand, which is not common in the area. This means it was filled by hand or buried somewhere else first.

Many European objects were found, like copper and glass. Other European items included scissors, iron nails, scrap iron, and glazed tile pieces. Shell beads were the most common native artifact. These beads were often found with children's skeletons. Pipes, shell gorgets (necklaces), and pottery pieces were also discovered.

Ossuary 2: Native-Made Treasures

This ossuary was found on November 28, 1936. It was roughly oval, about 38 feet long, 11 feet wide, and 4 feet deep. About 287 skeletons were estimated to be here. These bones were in better condition than those in Ossuary 1. They belonged to both males and females of all ages. The bones were closely mixed together, making them hard to remove.

Two unique things about this ossuary are that it had no European artifacts. Only three copper items were found, and tests showed they were made from native copper. This means the metal was pure, not mixed with iron, lead, or tin. There were many shell beads made by the native people. Beads were more often found with children's skeletons. Large beads were also spread on the floor of the burial. It is thought these beads might have been scattered there before the burial. Other items found included pottery pieces, clay pipes (a few whole ones), quartz arrowheads, scrapers, pieces of hematite, and broken animal, bird, and fish bones.

Ossuary 3: Fewer Artifacts

This ossuary was found on May 17, 1937. It was about 77 feet from Ossuary 2. It contained 67 skeletons of males and females of all ages. The digging finished by September 17. It was egg-shaped, 18 feet long, 11 feet wide, and 3.5 feet deep. The bodies were laid side by side, not piled up. Like Ossuary 2, no European artifacts were found here. A difference from Ossuary 2 was that there were very few native-made artifacts. Only small amounts of shell beads, some bone tools, parts of deer antlers, broken animal bones, and broken pottery pieces were found.

Ossuary 4: Poorly Preserved Bones

This ossuary was 23 feet long, 13 feet wide, and 3 feet deep. About 41 skeletons were in this ossuary, but the bones were not well preserved. No European objects were found, and only a few Indian-made items. The artifacts found were eight pottery pieces, a small piece of a plain pipe stem, and a baked clay ball. No burned bones were noted. None of these bones were kept for further study.

Ossuary 5: Observing Bone Arrangement

Digging began on this ossuary on July 12, 1939, and finished on July 24. It was about 3 feet deep from the topsoil. In other burials, bones were taken out from the side. But in this ossuary, the archaeologist (T. Dale Stewart) dug down from the top. This allowed him to see how the skeletons were arranged before removing them. All the skeletons were laid in no particular direction.

An unusual thing was that some skeletons had their lower legs bent unnaturally forward at the knee. There were 135 skeletons: 63 adults and 72 children. The archaeologist determined 34 adults were male, 27 were female, and two were unclear. Shell beads were the most common artifact. Many different kinds of beads were found in one skull. This is more proof of secondary burial. There was also more evidence of secondary burial because of burned bones.

An unusual artifact was a three-foot piece of pine wood. It was on top of the bones on the north side. It is thought the wood was used to carry the bodies to the pit and then placed in afterwards. The wood could also be part of a burial structure or something ceremonial. The discovery of mud dauber nests with some skeletons supports the idea of secondary burials. Mud daubers do not build nests underground. This suggests the remains were left above ground to decompose before being buried.

Artifacts Found at the Site

Archaeologists found many interesting objects at Potomac Creek. These artifacts help us understand how the people lived.

Pottery and Ceramics

There are two main types of pottery found at this site: Potomac Creek Cord-impressed and Potomac Creek Sand-tempered. A smoother version of the Cord-impressed pottery is called Potomac Creek Plain. These three types of pottery were used to make dishes and containers. Other ceramic items include ladles or spoons, beads, and human-shaped figurines. Many beads came from the ossuaries and other parts of the site. Three pottery heads shaped like humans were found. Two had clear facial features. A similar ceramic head was found at the Kiser site in Virginia.

Tobacco Pipes

The collection of tobacco pipes included 15 complete clay pipes, 161 broken pieces, two pipes made of steatite (a soft stone), and one pipe bowl. The clay pipes ranged in color from tan to dark brown or grayish black. Most pipes had a polish that can still be seen, even with damage from time. This polish would have hidden the texture of the pipe material. The most common decoration looked like it was made with a small stamp. Many nearby sites have pipes very similar to those found at Potomac Creek. These include Port Tobacco, Maryland, Moyaone, Pamunkey Reservation, and Keyser Farm Site.

Stone Tools (Lithics)

Stone artifacts were found both during digging and on the surface. A total of 191 projectile points (like arrowheads) were found. Another 25 were broken or could not be identified. The points are from different time periods, from the Early Archaic to the Late Woodland. Most stone tools were made from quartz or quartzite. These materials would have been found nearby. Some points were made from rhyolite, chert, or Harper's Ferry quartzite. These materials would have been brought from other places.

Where Did the People Come From?

Archaeologists have different ideas about where the people of Potomac Creek came from.

• Some think they were a new group who moved in from the north.
• Others believe they were strongly influenced by people from the Eastern Shore.
• Some suggest they moved from the Piedmont area to the inner coastal plain.
• Still others think the culture mostly developed right there, without much outside movement.
• It is also thought that the ancestors of Potomac Creek people came from southeastern New York, northeastern Pennsylvania, and northwestern New Jersey.

What We Learned from Potomac Creek

The Potomac Creek site has taught us a lot about Native American life before Europeans arrived.

A Fortified Home

The appearance of strong, planned villages around 1300 AD suggests growth in how people settled. This was likely due to more people, changing politics, and new ways of getting food. Eight radiocarbon dates from burned wood show the site was used between 1300 and 1550 AD. The latest dates tell us this specific village was not lived in after Europeans arrived. The nearby village (44ST1) had replaced it by then.

The strong defenses of this village show it was a main place to live. It stands out from other settlements because of its fortifications.

A Strategic Location

The Potomac Creek site (44ST2) is on a high, defensible bluff. This bluff is above the creek of the same name. It is in Stafford County, Virginia, on the south shore of the Potomac River. "Potowomeke" was an important ceremonial place for hundreds of years. The site was likely first used by Owasco immigrants around 1300 AD. It was left around 1550 AD, before Europeans made contact. The site has been important to archaeologists since the 1930s.

The site is especially important because of the many palisade walls and trenches. These were built at different times during the site's 250-year history. Some archaeologists think the people who built and lived there were newcomers. They might have been migrants from the Piedmont. These migrants were pushed into the inner Coastal Plain by other groups from further west. The Potomac Creek site gives us a great chance to study Native life in the Potomac valley just before Europeans arrived.

A Place of Importance

We don't know the exact purpose of the site for sure. But the palisades and trenches show it was an important place for the people. At the very least, its defenses make it different from ordinary settlements. The strong nature of this village suggests it was the main home for the local leader, or weroance.

A Trading Hub

The site's location, where waterways met, made it a good place for trading. Some experts believe the Potomac people were important traders in the area. They think sites like this one were key "centers" for managing goods.

This means the site might have had one or more storehouses for trade items. Many stone artifacts show that stone tools were made here. The discovery of arrowheads and other stone tools suggests it might have been a production center. The large number of pottery pieces and animal/plant remains also supports this idea. It suggests the site housed storehouses and served as a trading post at certain times.

A Special Purpose Site

Other physical evidence suggests the site had a "special" purpose. It might not have been just a main settlement for many people. This evidence includes the relatively small size of the enclosed area. Also, there's a general lack of clear house patterns. The discovery of clay pipe fragments further suggests the site's special importance. Using tobacco was often a group activity and a special privilege. This supports the idea that the site had some ceremonial meaning.