MOORE VILLAGE
18AG43

Introduction

The Moore Village site (18AG43) is a palisaded, late prehistoric Monongahela village site. Located in the Chesapeake and Ohio National Historical Park near Oldtown, Maryland, the site was occupied during the 15th century.

Archaeological Investigations

The Moore Village site was investigated to determine eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. Evidence from the site seems to indicate that it is a late prehistoric, palisaded, Monongahela village site with relatively high integrity. Radiocarbon samples and a large number of triangular points and Monongahela pottery sherds (or related Keyser sherds) point to a 15th-century A.D. occupation. Recovery of daub made from clay removed during palisade trench construction suggests a Mississippian influence uncharacteristic of Monongahela sites.

Floral and faunal remains studied from the site indicate that local subsistence was characterized by a mixture of horticulture, hunting, and foraging. Possible year-round occupation of the Moore Village site is suggested.

Archeobotanical Studies

Carbonized plant remains recovered during troweling and dry screening (1/4" mesh) were analyzed by Gayle J. Fritz of the Ethnobotanical Laboratory, Research Laboratories of Anthropology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In-situ recovery and soil sifting yielded 126 identifiable botanical specimens, while flotation samples yielded several additional seeds. A total of 17 walnut fragments, 41 thick shell hickory fragments, 54 bitternut hickory fragments, 4 indeterminate hickory nut fragments, 5 carbonized hazelnut fragments, 4 carbonized wild plum pits, and 1 carbonized acorn shell (flotation) were recovered. A single maize cob fragment, 1 maize kernel (flotation), and a possible legume (flotation) were also found. In addition to those specimens already noted as coming from flotation sampling, flotation analysis identified goosefoot, sumac, possible blackberry, possibly blueberry, amaranth, and seeds from a number of other species.

Radiocarbon dating of wood samples from four features which also yielded archeobotanical samples indicates that occupations at the Moore Village site were predominantly from the 15th century A.D. Pousson suggests that the sample submitted from Feature 103 was contaminated, and the late date (uncalibrated 200 +/- 50 BP: A.D. 1750 [Beta 6782]) is erroneous.

References