Garden Creek site
Encyclopedia
Garden Creek site is an archaeological site
located 24 miles (38.6 km) west of Asheville, North Carolina
, at the confluence of the Pigeon River and Garden Creek near Canton
and the Pisgah National Forest
. The site features two Pisgah Phase
villages (31Hw7) and the three Garden Creek Mounds (31Hw1-3). The two villages located on the site were occupied from 600 CE to 1200 CE and were part of Mississippian culture
. The inhabitants of the Garden Creek site are regarded as proto-Koasati people by Creek Indian scholars. In the 1970s archaeologist Roy Dickens proposed that the site was proto-Cherokee, but the artifacts and architecture are consistent with early Koasati sites elsewhere in the Southern Highlands.
Earliest human occupation at the site dates back to 8000 BCE.
is located nearby.
Mound No. 1 is designed Hw 8 or 31Hw1, while Mound No. 2, located 1000 feet (304.8 m) to the west of Mound No. 1, is Hw 7 or 31Hw2. The remains of Mound No. 3, Hw 3 or 31Hw3, is located on site's south side and was dug up by the Heye Foundation in 1915.
Garden Creek houses were rectangular post-ditch houses, with rounded corners. Two earth lodge
s, rare in the Southern Appalachian Summit, were found at the site, forming the basis for one of the mounds
.
, made of peridotite
and slate
, were found in Garden Creek Mound 1. Stone anvils, hammerstones, manos, mortars were also unearthed, as well as fragments of cut mica
and elbow-shared clay smoking pipes. Bone tools, such as awls, punches, and perhaps needles, were fashioned from deer and turkey bone splinters. Turtle shell rattles, from Terrapene carolina
shells and small round peddles were found in Mound No. 1. Shell artifacts were sculpted from marine
mollusk shells: large shell beads shaped into spheres or discs and strung into necklaces and bracelets were made from Busycon
(or conch) columella. A single shell pin was found in Mound No. 1, as well as a conch bowl. Mounds No. 1 and 2 held Marginella
shells and conch shell gorget
s. Several gorgets were incised with coiled rattlesnakes in the Lick Creek style, and one featured a stylized human figure. Woven rivercane mats left in impressions in Earth Lodge 2 and some charred remains were found on a house floor. Although organic materials decompose rapidly in the Southern Appalachian climate, fragile textiles, such as cloth, netting, and cordage, were in evidence by the impressions they left on clay. Two pieces of copper were found at the site.
first excavated Garden Creek. George Gustav Heye
also excavated the site from 1915 to 1919. Heye did not take field notes or record provenance of artifacts taken from the site. The Research Laboratories of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina
excavated Garden Creek from 1965 to 1967.
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
located 24 miles (38.6 km) west of Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, at the confluence of the Pigeon River and Garden Creek near Canton
Canton, North Carolina
Canton is the second largest town in Haywood County, North Carolina, United States. It is located about west of Asheville, North Carolina and is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is named after the city of Canton, Ohio.- History :...
and the Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah National Forest is a National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The Pisgah National Forest is completely contained within the state of North Carolina...
. The site features two Pisgah Phase
Pisgah Phase
The Pisgah Phase is an archaeological phase of the South Appalachian Mississippian culture in parts of Northeastern Tennessee, Western North Carolina and Northwestern South Carolina.-Location:...
villages (31Hw7) and the three Garden Creek Mounds (31Hw1-3). The two villages located on the site were occupied from 600 CE to 1200 CE and were part of Mississippian culture
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
. The inhabitants of the Garden Creek site are regarded as proto-Koasati people by Creek Indian scholars. In the 1970s archaeologist Roy Dickens proposed that the site was proto-Cherokee, but the artifacts and architecture are consistent with early Koasati sites elsewhere in the Southern Highlands.
Earliest human occupation at the site dates back to 8000 BCE.
Site features
The 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) site includes two permanent villages with three mounds. The largest village, designated 31Hw7, was located on a terrace overlooking Garden Creek, a tributary of the Pigeon River. A smaller village with a conical moundMound
A mound is a general term for an artificial heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. The most common use is in reference to natural earthen formation such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. The term may also be applied to any rounded area of topographically...
is located nearby.
Mound No. 1 is designed Hw 8 or 31Hw1, while Mound No. 2, located 1000 feet (304.8 m) to the west of Mound No. 1, is Hw 7 or 31Hw2. The remains of Mound No. 3, Hw 3 or 31Hw3, is located on site's south side and was dug up by the Heye Foundation in 1915.
Garden Creek houses were rectangular post-ditch houses, with rounded corners. Two earth lodge
Earth lodge
An earth lodge is a semi-subterranean building covered partially or completely with earth, best known from the Native American cultures of the Great Plains and Eastern Woodlands. Most earth lodges are circular in construction with a dome-like roof, often with a central or slightly-offset smoke...
s, rare in the Southern Appalachian Summit, were found at the site, forming the basis for one of the mounds
Platform
- Physical objects and features :* Diving platform, used in competitive diving* Jumping platform, naturally occurring platforms, or platforms made in an ad-hoc way for cliff jumping* Oil platform, a structure built for oil production...
.
Artifacts
Ground stone celtsCelt (tool)
Celt is an archaeological term used to describe long thin prehistoric stone or bronze adzes, other axe-like tools, and hoes.-Etymology:The term "celt" came about from what was very probably a copyist's error in many medieval manuscript copies of Job 19:24 in the Latin Vulgate Bible, which became...
, made of peridotite
Peridotite
A peridotite is a dense, coarse-grained igneous rock, consisting mostly of the minerals olivine and pyroxene. Peridotite is ultramafic, as the rock contains less than 45% silica. It is high in magnesium, reflecting the high proportions of magnesium-rich olivine, with appreciable iron...
and slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
, were found in Garden Creek Mound 1. Stone anvils, hammerstones, manos, mortars were also unearthed, as well as fragments of cut mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
and elbow-shared clay smoking pipes. Bone tools, such as awls, punches, and perhaps needles, were fashioned from deer and turkey bone splinters. Turtle shell rattles, from Terrapene carolina
Terrapene carolina
The common box turtle is a species of box turtle with six existing subspecies. It is found throughout the eastern United States and Mexico. The box turtle has a distinctive hinged lowered shell that allows it to completely enclose itself...
shells and small round peddles were found in Mound No. 1. Shell artifacts were sculpted from marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
mollusk shells: large shell beads shaped into spheres or discs and strung into necklaces and bracelets were made from Busycon
Busycon
Busycon is a genus of very large edible sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Buccinidae. These snails are commonly known in the United States as whelks or Busycon whelks....
(or conch) columella. A single shell pin was found in Mound No. 1, as well as a conch bowl. Mounds No. 1 and 2 held Marginella
Marginella
Marginella is a genus of small tropical and warm-water sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Marginellidae, the margin snails. It is the type genus of the family.:...
shells and conch shell gorget
Shell gorget
A shell gorget is a Native American art form of polished, carved shell pendants worn around the neck. The gorgets are frequently engraved, and are sometimes highlighted with pigments, or fenestrated ....
s. Several gorgets were incised with coiled rattlesnakes in the Lick Creek style, and one featured a stylized human figure. Woven rivercane mats left in impressions in Earth Lodge 2 and some charred remains were found on a house floor. Although organic materials decompose rapidly in the Southern Appalachian climate, fragile textiles, such as cloth, netting, and cordage, were in evidence by the impressions they left on clay. Two pieces of copper were found at the site.
Archaeological surveys
In 1800 the Valentine Museum of Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
first excavated Garden Creek. George Gustav Heye
George Gustav Heye
George Gustav Heye was a collector of Native American artifacts. His collection became the core of the National Museum of the American Indian.-Biography:...
also excavated the site from 1915 to 1919. Heye did not take field notes or record provenance of artifacts taken from the site. The Research Laboratories of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
excavated Garden Creek from 1965 to 1967.