Forty-Eighth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1930-1931, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1933.
History
Forty-Eighth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1930-1931, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1933.
Indexes
M. W. Stirling, chief, left Washington during the latter part of
January to continue his archeological researches in Florida. On the way
south he took the opportunity to investigate a number of archeological
sites in several of the Southern States, notably a group of mounds
which had been reported in the vicinity of High Point, N. C. and two
mound sites on Pine Island in the Tennessee River in northern Alabama.
A few days were spent in the vicinity of Montgomery, Ala., examining
the early historic sites being investigated there by the Alabama
Anthropological Society. A large mound had been reported in the
vicinity of Flomaton, Ala.; this was visited and found to be a natural
formation.
Continuing down the west coast of Florida, Mr. Stirling visited briefly
the archeological sites at Crystal River, Safety Harbor, and Alligator
Creek. The principal work for the season was commenced on February 5
on Blue Hill Island south of Key Marco, one of the northernmost of
the Ten Thousand Island Group. A large sand burial mound was excavated
and found to be of early post-Columbian Calusa origin. Excavation of
the mound disclosed a number of interesting structural features quite
unusual in Florida sand mounds. Six feet above the base of the mound a
clay floor was encountered which gave evidence of having been the base
of a temple structure, as it was surrounded by post-holes and in some
instances by the decayed remains of the wooden uprights still in place.
This structure had evidently been destroyed and the mound subsequently
enlarged by adding 6 feet more of sand above the original substructure.
Numerous burials were encountered both above and below the clay floor.
A few articles of European manufacture were recovered from the upper
level of the mound. As none were recovered from beneath the temple
floor, it is possible that the older section of the mound is of
pre-Columbian age. Cultural material recovered was interesting though
not abundant. This included characteristic pottery specimens, pendants
and ornaments made from fossil shark teeth, shell dishes, cups, celts,
and a few stone knives and arrowheads. Articles of European manufacture
consisted of glass beads and iron axes of Spanish type. More than 250
burials were removed.
Following the completion of this work, Mr. Stirling went to the island
of Haiti, where, in the company of H. W. Krieger, of the United States
National Museum, he investigated archeological sites previously worked
by Mr. Krieger in various parts of the island. Returning from Haiti to
Florida, work was continued in the eastern part of the State, where a
number of mounds were investigated between Miami and Cape Canaveral.
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