Barnesville Petroglyph
Encyclopedia
The Barnesville Petroglyph is a well-known petroglyph
site in the eastern part of the U.S. state
of Ohio
. Located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of the village of Barnesville
in Belmont County
, the petroglyphs have been known both by archaeologists
and the general public since the 1850s or earlier. Although the site was significantly damaged during the twentieth century, it is still a significant archaeological site
; as a result, it has been named a historic site
.
people. The precise cultural affiliation
of its creators is uncertain: some have attributed the site to the Adena
, who inhabited the region approximately between 500 BC and AD 300. However, Barnesville shares many similarities with other petroglyph sites in western Pennsylvania
, northern West Virginia
, and other parts of eastern Ohio; as a result, petroglyph specialist James L. Swauger
concluded that it was the work of the people that also created such sites as the Indian God Rock
, the Sugar Grove Petroglyphs
, and the Hamilton Farm Petroglyphs
. Many features of these and similar petroglyph sites in the region indicated to Swauger that they were created by Ojibwe-influenced people of the Monongahela culture, whose earliest presence in the Upper Ohio Valley is believed to have been approximately AD 1200.
-series sandstone
that sits in woodland atop a hill with an elevation of approximately 1320 feet (402.3 m). Measuring approximately 3.5 metres (11.5 ft) from east to west and 4.5 metres (14.8 ft) from northwest to southeast, the boulder slopes from end to end: the northwestern corner is nearly 1 metres (3.3 ft) above the soil, but the southeastern corner gradually meets ground level. Dozens of boulders of Dunkard sandstone, both small and large, are littered around the hilltop; but only two presently bear any sort of human carvings.
, or simply have become lost among the many similar boulders. Four years later, the second boulder was re-discovered; the previous survey missed it because it had been buried or otherwise obscured.
The large boulder of premier interest bears 113 different designs, which have been divided into 6 different classifications: 47 mammal imprints (the tracks
of bears and deer, plus indeterminate paw prints and the outlines of animal pelts
), 26 bird tracks
, 21 human body parts (5 faces and 16 feet), 12 geometric
figures, 4 snakes, and 3 pits. While the precise identification of the animals whose prints are carved at the stone are uncertain, these designations were applied because they were seen to be the animals most likely to be encountered by the Native Americans who produced the petroglyph. Similar to carvings at another site
that are known as "nut-cracker holes," the pits are small indentations that are most likely to have been made individually, although it is possible that they are the sole surviving elements of otherwise eroded designs. It is very difficult to identify the types of animals whose prints are represented by the smaller tracks: a specialist in mammals from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History
was unable to determine whether many of them were meant to be the prints of dogs or of cats. Most unusual of the designs are the pelts and the human faces: only one other petroglyph site in the Upper Ohio Valley
has designs that appear to be stretched-out animal skins, and the noses featured on some of the human faces are almost unknown at other petroglyphs in the region. Those carvings designated as "geometric" are mostly abstract designs; common on Native American petroglyph sites in the region, such "doodles" are thought to be likely evidence that many different sites were created by people of the same culture.
Carvings at Barnesville are noticeably different from those at Belmont County's other significant petroglyph site: known as Barton Rock, this site consists of petroglyphs on a large boulder in the middle of Wheeling Creek
, approximately 0.7 miles (1.1 km) below the unincorporated community
of Barton
. First described in 2002, Barton Rock consists primarily of images of turtles and birds. Such a concentration is similar to the many riverine petroglyph sites in the Ohio Valley that Swauger described, while Barnesville's large number of tracks is similar to many other upland sites in the region.
and J.H. Salisbury produced a more systematic description in 1869 and 1871: published in 1872, they describe the carvings present on the boulder that was once thought to have been removed from the site as well as documenting the carvings that have always been known. A yet fuller description was included in James L. Swauger's landmark Rock Art of the Upper Ohio Valley, which was published in 1972. Because of the dominance of footprints among the rest of the types of carvings, the petroglyph has become popularly known as the "Track Rocks" among local residents; nicknames of this sort are common for better-known petroglyphs, as exemplified by the "Picture Rocks" appelation of Pennsylvania's Sugar Grove Petroglyphs
.
Besides the carvings themselves, the petroglyph's immediate vicinity is archaeologically important because of the presence of many smaller archaeological artifacts
. Various types of projectile point
s have been found nearby; most were produced by the Adena or various Late Archaic peoples. Moreover, the nearby Shannon Cave is believed to have archaeological value, and it has been proposed that some of the petroglyph carvings are meant to point toward the cave. As a prominent archaeological site
, the Barnesville Petroglyph was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1974. It is one of four National Register-listed archaeological sites in the county, along with the Brokaw
, Opatrny Village
, and Tower
Sites, which are all the locations of Monongahela villages. Only two other Ohio petroglyphs are included on the Register; known as the Leo Petroglyph State Memorial
and Inscription Rock, they are located respectively in Jackson County
in the far southern portion of the state and on Kelleys Island
in Lake Erie
, north of the state's mainland.
Petroglyph
Petroglyphs are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...
site in the eastern part of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of the village of Barnesville
Barnesville, Ohio
Barnesville is a village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,225 at the 2000 census...
in Belmont County
Belmont County, Ohio
Belmont County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 70,400. Its county seat is St. Clairsville...
, the petroglyphs have been known both by archaeologists
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and the general public since the 1850s or earlier. Although the site was significantly damaged during the twentieth century, it is still a significant archaeological site
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,...
; as a result, it has been named a historic site
Historic site
A historic site is an official location where pieces of political, military or social history have been preserved. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have recognized with the official national historic site status...
.
Creation
The age of the Barnesville Petroglyph is clearly far greater than that of anything created since white settlement of the region began; consequently, it is certain that the carvings were created by some Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
people. The precise cultural affiliation
Archaeological culture
An archaeological culture is a recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place, which are thought to constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society. The connection between the artifacts is based on archaeologists' understanding and interpretation and...
of its creators is uncertain: some have attributed the site to the Adena
Adena culture
The Adena culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 1000 to 200 BC, in a time known as the early Woodland Period. The Adena culture refers to what were probably a number of related Native American societies sharing a burial complex and ceremonial system...
, who inhabited the region approximately between 500 BC and AD 300. However, Barnesville shares many similarities with other petroglyph sites in western Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, northern West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, and other parts of eastern Ohio; as a result, petroglyph specialist James L. Swauger
James L. Swauger
James L. Swauger was an archaeologist known for his work on the petroglyphs of the Ohio River valley of the United States...
concluded that it was the work of the people that also created such sites as the Indian God Rock
Indian God Rock
Indian God Rock is a large boulder in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near the unincorporated community of Brandon, it lies along the Allegheny River in Venango County's Rockland Township. It is significant for the large petroglyph on one of its sides...
, the Sugar Grove Petroglyphs
Sugar Grove Petroglyphs
The Sugar Grove Petroglyphs are a group of petroglyphs in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located on an outcrop of sandstone in Monongahela Township near the eastern edge of Greene County, the petroglyphs have been known since at least the 1930s...
, and the Hamilton Farm Petroglyphs
Hamilton Farm Petroglyphs
Hamilton Farm Petroglyphs, also known as Pictured Rocks and Indian Picture Rocks, are a series of ancient petroglyphs located U.S. Route 119 southeast of Ringgold, in Monongalia County of northern West Virginia...
. Many features of these and similar petroglyph sites in the region indicated to Swauger that they were created by Ojibwe-influenced people of the Monongahela culture, whose earliest presence in the Upper Ohio Valley is believed to have been approximately AD 1200.
Geology
The petroglyphs are carved into a single large boulder of DunkardDunkard Group
The Permian Dunkard Group is an area of rock, Early Permian in age, in the south of Ohio, southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the hilltops of the Georges Creek Basin of Maryland. It is found primarily in Washington County. It is notable for being one of the few areas of Permian sediment...
-series sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
that sits in woodland atop a hill with an elevation of approximately 1320 feet (402.3 m). Measuring approximately 3.5 metres (11.5 ft) from east to west and 4.5 metres (14.8 ft) from northwest to southeast, the boulder slopes from end to end: the northwestern corner is nearly 1 metres (3.3 ft) above the soil, but the southeastern corner gradually meets ground level. Dozens of boulders of Dunkard sandstone, both small and large, are littered around the hilltop; but only two presently bear any sort of human carvings.
Petroglyphs
When the site was first recorded archaeologically, carvings were scattered among several different boulders on the hilltop. At least one such stone has been removed: during the early twentieth century, a group of men masquerading as staff from a museum obtained the second-largest boulder, and it has been lost to science as a result. Smaller rocks were also recorded with petroglyphs, but a 1971 professional survey failed to find anything except on the largest boulder. At that time, it was believed that the other stones may have been stolen, become undistinguishable due to weatheringWeathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soils and minerals as well as artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, biota and waters...
, or simply have become lost among the many similar boulders. Four years later, the second boulder was re-discovered; the previous survey missed it because it had been buried or otherwise obscured.
The large boulder of premier interest bears 113 different designs, which have been divided into 6 different classifications: 47 mammal imprints (the tracks
Animal tracks
Animal tracks are the imprints left behind in soil, snow, mud, or other ground surfaces that an animal walk across. Animal tracks are used by hunters in tracking their prey and by naturalists to identify animals living in a given area....
of bears and deer, plus indeterminate paw prints and the outlines of animal pelts
Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
), 26 bird tracks
Bird tracks
Bird tracking provides a way to assess the habitat range and behavior of birds without ever seeing the bird. Bird tracking falls under the category of tracking and is related to Animal tracking. A guide to bird tracking has been published...
, 21 human body parts (5 faces and 16 feet), 12 geometric
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
figures, 4 snakes, and 3 pits. While the precise identification of the animals whose prints are carved at the stone are uncertain, these designations were applied because they were seen to be the animals most likely to be encountered by the Native Americans who produced the petroglyph. Similar to carvings at another site
Francis Farm Petroglyphs
The Francis Farm Petroglyphs are a group of petroglyphs in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located on a boulder in Jefferson Township in the northwestern portion of Fayette County, it has been known to archaeologists since at least the middle of the nineteenth century...
that are known as "nut-cracker holes," the pits are small indentations that are most likely to have been made individually, although it is possible that they are the sole surviving elements of otherwise eroded designs. It is very difficult to identify the types of animals whose prints are represented by the smaller tracks: a specialist in mammals from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Carnegie Museum of Natural History, located at 4400 Forbes Avenue in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, was founded by the Pittsburgh-based industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1896...
was unable to determine whether many of them were meant to be the prints of dogs or of cats. Most unusual of the designs are the pelts and the human faces: only one other petroglyph site in the Upper Ohio Valley
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
has designs that appear to be stretched-out animal skins, and the noses featured on some of the human faces are almost unknown at other petroglyphs in the region. Those carvings designated as "geometric" are mostly abstract designs; common on Native American petroglyph sites in the region, such "doodles" are thought to be likely evidence that many different sites were created by people of the same culture.
Carvings at Barnesville are noticeably different from those at Belmont County's other significant petroglyph site: known as Barton Rock, this site consists of petroglyphs on a large boulder in the middle of Wheeling Creek
Wheeling Creek (Ohio)
Wheeling Creek is a tributary of the Ohio River, long, in eastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau...
, approximately 0.7 miles (1.1 km) below the unincorporated community
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
of Barton
Barton, Ohio
Barton is an unincorporated community in southern Colerain Township, Belmont County, Ohio, United States, along Wheeling Creek. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 43905....
. First described in 2002, Barton Rock consists primarily of images of turtles and birds. Such a concentration is similar to the many riverine petroglyph sites in the Ohio Valley that Swauger described, while Barnesville's large number of tracks is similar to many other upland sites in the region.
Recognition
The earliest published record of the Barnesville Petroglyph was created in 1857 or 1858 by Thomas Kite, and a similar description was produced soon afterward by James W. Ward. Drawing on these works, Charles WittleseyCharles Whittlesey (geologist)
Charles Whittlesey was a soldier, geologist and an investigator of mounds relics of the United States.-Biography:...
and J.H. Salisbury produced a more systematic description in 1869 and 1871: published in 1872, they describe the carvings present on the boulder that was once thought to have been removed from the site as well as documenting the carvings that have always been known. A yet fuller description was included in James L. Swauger's landmark Rock Art of the Upper Ohio Valley, which was published in 1972. Because of the dominance of footprints among the rest of the types of carvings, the petroglyph has become popularly known as the "Track Rocks" among local residents; nicknames of this sort are common for better-known petroglyphs, as exemplified by the "Picture Rocks" appelation of Pennsylvania's Sugar Grove Petroglyphs
Sugar Grove Petroglyphs
The Sugar Grove Petroglyphs are a group of petroglyphs in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located on an outcrop of sandstone in Monongahela Township near the eastern edge of Greene County, the petroglyphs have been known since at least the 1930s...
.
Besides the carvings themselves, the petroglyph's immediate vicinity is archaeologically important because of the presence of many smaller archaeological artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
. Various types of projectile point
Projectile point
In archaeological terms, a projectile point is an object that was hafted to a projectile, such as a spear, dart, or arrow, or perhaps used as a knife....
s have been found nearby; most were produced by the Adena or various Late Archaic peoples. Moreover, the nearby Shannon Cave is believed to have archaeological value, and it has been proposed that some of the petroglyph carvings are meant to point toward the cave. As a prominent archaeological site
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,...
, the Barnesville Petroglyph was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1974. It is one of four National Register-listed archaeological sites in the county, along with the Brokaw
Brokaw Site
The Brokaw Site is located off of U.S. Route 40 in Richland Township, just west of St. Clairsville, Ohio. The site was added to the National Register on 1976-06-17.-History:...
, Opatrny Village
Opatrny Village Site
The Opatrny Village Site is an ancient village site dating from AD 1000-1600. The site was inhabited by the Monongahela culture and is a contemporary with the Fort Ancient cultural way of life. The property was placed on the National Register on 1975-05-21....
, and Tower
Tower Site
The Tower Site is a prehistoric village site dating from 1000 to 1499 AD and is closely associated with the Monongahela culture. Located around north-west of Barnesville, Ohio, United States, the site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.-History:The site was once a...
Sites, which are all the locations of Monongahela villages. Only two other Ohio petroglyphs are included on the Register; known as the Leo Petroglyph State Memorial
Leo Petroglyph
The Leo Petroglyph is a sandstone petroglyph containing 37 images of humans and animals as well as footprints of each. The petroglyph is located near the small village of Leo, Ohio and is thought to have been created by the Fort Ancient peoples...
and Inscription Rock, they are located respectively in Jackson County
Jackson County, Ohio
Jackson County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2010, the population was 33,225. Its county seat is Jackson and is named for Andrew Jackson, a hero of the War of 1812 who was subsequently elected President of the United States....
in the far southern portion of the state and on Kelleys Island
Kelleys Island, Ohio
Kelleys Island is both a village in Erie County, Ohio, United States, and the island which it fully occupies in Lake Erie. Originally known as Island Number 6 and later Cunningham Island, it was renamed in 1840 for brothers Datus and Irad Kelley, who were largely responsible for cultivatating the...
in Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, north of the state's mainland.