Carbaugh Run Rhyolite Quarry Site
Encyclopedia
The Carbaugh Run Rhyolite Quarry Site is an archaeological site
in Franklin Township
, Adams County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. It is composed of two smaller sites: a group of small quarries
on top of Snaggy Ridge, and the remnants of what may have been a campsite along Carbaugh Run below the ridge.
Since their discovery by Norman Keefer in the 1920s, the quarries have been examined informally by a wide range of archaeologists, but no formal study of the site has been conducted. Several other prehistoric quarries are located in the area; it is one of three known quarries along South Mountain alone. The site has been rated as one of Pennsylvania's leading rhyolite
quarries: with forty or more pits, it is one of the largest rhyolite quarry sites in the state. It is believed that the stone still present at the site can be used to determine the origins of rhyolite found in other sites statewide, thus providing clues about trade networks during the period that the quarries were worked. Also significant is the potential connection between the quarries and the streamside site, which may reveal evidence of settlement patterns in the region.
In 1986, the Carbaugh Run Rhyolite Quarry Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
for its archaeological significance.
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,...
in Franklin Township
Franklin Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania
Franklin Township is a township in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,590 at the 2000 census.-History:The township is the location of the Carbaugh Run Rhyolite Quarry Site, where Native Americans mined rhyolite for stone tools...
, Adams County
Adams County, Pennsylvania
Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. It was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is composed of two smaller sites: a group of small quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
on top of Snaggy Ridge, and the remnants of what may have been a campsite along Carbaugh Run below the ridge.
Since their discovery by Norman Keefer in the 1920s, the quarries have been examined informally by a wide range of archaeologists, but no formal study of the site has been conducted. Several other prehistoric quarries are located in the area; it is one of three known quarries along South Mountain alone. The site has been rated as one of Pennsylvania's leading rhyolite
Rhyolite
This page is about a volcanic rock. For the ghost town see Rhyolite, Nevada, and for the satellite system, see Rhyolite/Aquacade.Rhyolite is an igneous, volcanic rock, of felsic composition . It may have any texture from glassy to aphanitic to porphyritic...
quarries: with forty or more pits, it is one of the largest rhyolite quarry sites in the state. It is believed that the stone still present at the site can be used to determine the origins of rhyolite found in other sites statewide, thus providing clues about trade networks during the period that the quarries were worked. Also significant is the potential connection between the quarries and the streamside site, which may reveal evidence of settlement patterns in the region.
In 1986, the Carbaugh Run Rhyolite Quarry Site 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...
for its archaeological significance.
Further reading
- Deisher, Henry. "South Mountain Indian Quarries." Pennsylvania Archaeologist 3 (3): 6-7, 18-19.
- Latchford, Steven F. Rhyolite Quarries, Adams County, Pennsylvania. HarrisburgHarrisburg, PennsylvaniaHarrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
: William Penn Memorial Museum, n.d.