Clover Site
Encyclopedia
The Clover Site is a Fort Ancient culture archeological site located near Lesage
in Cabell County
, West Virginia
, United States
. It is significant for its well-preserved remains of a late prehistoric/protohistoric
Native American
village. The sites unique assemblage has made it the type site
for the Clover Phase of the Madisonville horizon of the Fort Ancient culture. The Fort Ancient culture is believed to be an in situ development of Late Woodland period
peoples.
The site was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1992.
on a high flood terrace of the Ohio River, within the Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area
. At 5 acres, it was a large village with a semi-circular layout. It had a centrally located plaza
surrounded by habitation areas, very similar to other Fort Ancient sites, although a palisade
such as ones found at other sites has yet to be found at Clover. The site once was described as having three raised mound
like areas 5 feet (1.5 m) high and 200 feet (61 m) wide, but they can no longer be located. Investigations at the site have produced Native American produced shell-tempered ceramics, stone tools, bone tools, and ornaments. Items of European manufacture, including brass and copper ornaments and glass trade beads have definitively dated the upper levels of the site to the protohistoric period
. The artifact assemblages found at the site by avocational archaeologists such as John J. Adams and S.F. Dunett in the 1920s and professional investigations in the 1940s by James B. Griffin
, enabled Griffin to propose the Clover Phase of the Madisonville complex that spanned the years 1550 to 1600, a way of identifying this protohistoric time period at other contemporary sites in the region. Other investigations were undertaken at the site in the 1980s by Nicholas Freidin of Marshall University
, who conducted an archaeological field school there from 1984 to 1988. Items excavated from the site are now part of the John Adams Collection of artifacts curated by the Huntington Museum of Art
.
, the Hardin Village Site
, the Madisonville Site, the Rolfe Lee Site, Logan Site and Marmet Village Site. Pottery excavated from many of these different sites, with types including Madisonville Plain, Cordmarked, or Smoothed Cordmarked wares, have a unique feature(a 2-twist direction to the cordage) which is rarely found in pottery from sites to the west of the Clover Site and are relatively common at sites to its east. This suggest that Clover site people maintained closer contact with sites such as Buffalo, Gue Farm, Marmet, and Rolfe Lee than with other sites that were to its west. Other exotic artifacts found at the site, such as shell gorget
s associated with the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
, pottery effigy bowls
, and figurines show a connection with Mississippian culture
villages in what is now eastern Tennessee
.
Lesage, West Virginia
Lesage is an unincorporated census-designated place on Ohio River Road in Cabell County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,358. It is the nearest community to Clover Site, a National Historic Landmark....
in Cabell County
Cabell County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 96,784 people, 41,180 households, and 25,490 families residing in the county. The population density was 344 people per square mile . There were 45,615 housing units at an average density of 162 per square mile...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is significant for its well-preserved remains of a late prehistoric/protohistoric
Protohistory
Protohistory refers to a period between prehistory and history, during which a culture or civilization has not yet developed writing, but other cultures have already noted its existence in their own writings...
Native American
Native 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...
village. The sites unique assemblage has made it the type site
Type site
In archaeology a type site is a site that is considered the model of a particular archaeological culture...
for the Clover Phase of the Madisonville horizon of the Fort Ancient culture. The Fort Ancient culture is believed to be an in situ development of Late Woodland period
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
peoples.
The site was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1992.
Description
The site is located 20 miles (32.2 km) north of HuntingtonHuntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
on a high flood terrace of the Ohio River, within the Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area
Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area
Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area is located on former plantation lands of U.S. Congressman and Confederate General Albert G. Jenkins. The in Cabell County and Mason County are located along the banks of the Ohio River about north of Huntington, West Virginia. The Green Bottom WMA land is...
. At 5 acres, it was a large village with a semi-circular layout. It had a centrally located plaza
Plaza
Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...
surrounded by habitation areas, very similar to other Fort Ancient sites, although a palisade
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
such as ones found at other sites has yet to be found at Clover. The site once was described as having three raised mound
Mound
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...
like areas 5 feet (1.5 m) high and 200 feet (61 m) wide, but they can no longer be located. Investigations at the site have produced Native American produced shell-tempered ceramics, stone tools, bone tools, and ornaments. Items of European manufacture, including brass and copper ornaments and glass trade beads have definitively dated the upper levels of the site to the protohistoric period
Protohistory
Protohistory refers to a period between prehistory and history, during which a culture or civilization has not yet developed writing, but other cultures have already noted its existence in their own writings...
. The artifact assemblages found at the site by avocational archaeologists such as John J. Adams and S.F. Dunett in the 1920s and professional investigations in the 1940s by James B. Griffin
James Bennett Griffin
James Bennett Griffin was an American archaeologist. He is regarded as one of the most influential archaeologists in North America in the 20th century.-Personal life:...
, enabled Griffin to propose the Clover Phase of the Madisonville complex that spanned the years 1550 to 1600, a way of identifying this protohistoric time period at other contemporary sites in the region. Other investigations were undertaken at the site in the 1980s by Nicholas Freidin of Marshall University
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
, who conducted an archaeological field school there from 1984 to 1988. Items excavated from the site are now part of the John Adams Collection of artifacts curated by the Huntington Museum of Art
Huntington Museum of Art
The Huntington Museum of Art is an art museum located in the hills above Ritter Park in Huntington, West Virginia. It is the largest art museum between "Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Richmond" and contains numerous collections, exhibitions, education programs and nature trails that sprawl on a campus...
.
Connection to other sites
Other sites with significant Clover Phase habitations include the Lower Shawneetown Site, the Buffalo SiteBuffalo Indian Village Site
The Buffalo archeological site is located nearby Buffalo, Putnam County, West Virginia along the Kanawha River in the USA. The location is a multi-component site having Archaic village , one Middle Woodland village , and at least two overlapping Fort Ancient villages...
, the Hardin Village Site
Hardin Village Site
The Hardin Village Site is a Fort Ancient culture Montour Phase archaeological site located on a terrace of the Ohio River near South Shore in Greenup County, Kentucky. It is located within the Big Sandy Management Area along with the nearby Lower Shawneetown site. The site was first inhabited...
, the Madisonville Site, the Rolfe Lee Site, Logan Site and Marmet Village Site. Pottery excavated from many of these different sites, with types including Madisonville Plain, Cordmarked, or Smoothed Cordmarked wares, have a unique feature(a 2-twist direction to the cordage) which is rarely found in pottery from sites to the west of the Clover Site and are relatively common at sites to its east. This suggest that Clover site people maintained closer contact with sites such as Buffalo, Gue Farm, Marmet, and Rolfe Lee than with other sites that were to its west. Other exotic artifacts found at the site, such as 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 associated with the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex is the name given to the regional stylistic similarity of artifacts, iconography, ceremonies, and mythology of the Mississippian culture that coincided with their adoption of maize agriculture and chiefdom-level complex social organization from...
, pottery effigy bowls
Mississippian culture pottery
Mississippian culture pottery is the ceramic tradition of the Mississippian culture found as artifacts in archaeological sites in the American Midwest and Southeast. It is often characterized by the adoption and use of riverine shell-tempering agents in the clay paste. Shell tempering is one of...
, and figurines show a connection with 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....
villages in what is now eastern Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.