Fewkes Group Archaeological Site
Encyclopedia
Fewkes Group Archaeological Site (40 WM 1), also known as the Boiling Springs Site, is a prehistoric Native American
archaeological site
located in the city of Brentwood
, in Williamson County
, Tennessee
. It is in Primm Historic Park on the grounds of Boiling Spring Academy, a historic schoolhouse established in 1830. The 15-acre site consists of the remains of a late Mississippian culture
mound complex and village roughly dating to 1050-1475 AD. The site, which sits on the western bank of the Little Harpeth River
, has five mounds, some used for burial and others, including the largest, were ceremonial platform mound
s. The village was abandoned for unknown reasons around 1450. The site is named in honor of Dr. J. Walter Fewkes
, the Chief of the Bureau of American Ethnology
in 1920, who had visited the site and recognized its potential.
While it was partially excavated by the landowner in 1895, archaeologist William E. Myer directed a second, more thorough excavation in October 1920. The report of his findings was published in the Bureau of American Ethnology’s Forty-First Annual Report. Many of the artifacts recovered from the site are now housed at the Smithsonian Institution
. It was added to the NHRP
on April 21, 1980 as NRIS number 80003880.
s. This was probably achieved by tightly binding the body after death, because the bones appear to be in their proper places. These people appear to have lived in circular houses. This occupation dates to the Mississippian period, between 1000 – 1450. A second group moved into the area toward the end of the period. This group buried its dead with the bodies fully extended, on their backs, in rectangular stone box graves. Archaeological research done within the Middle Cumberland River Valley marks a virtual abandonment of the area around 1450. It is unknown what caused this, but the large amount of broken pottery on the floors of their homes may indicate that they were forced to leave in a hurry. This abandonment of the region is part of a larger pattern seen in parts of the Ohio
, Mississippi
, Tennessee
, and Cumberland River
valleys known as the “Vacant Quarter” hypothesis. As of 2010, officials at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
, Division of Archaeology
, have been unable to identify modern tribal descendants of the inhabitants of the site.
, and the fifth (smallest) mound is situated on the riverbank directly to the north of mound No. 1, outside the town center. (Looking at the site today, the Boiling Spring Schoolhouse now sits between mound No.1 and mound No. 5). Mound No. 1 is the largest at the site, being 25 feet (7.6 m) in height. Remnants of about a dozen house circles were found scattered around the outer edges of the group of mounds, mostly between mounds No.1 and No. 5. The most important houses adjoined mound No. 1 on the northeast side. These are represented on the 1920 map by circles. Traces of a stone box cemetery were also found on the property, not far from the mound complex.
and maize meal were also found. In the southwestern segment of the mound were found the ruins of a structure, named by Myer the “Sacred Image House” because among the items found were the remains of a sacred idol, a shrine, and traces of fire ceremonies. After the buildings were torn down the mound was raised a few more inches for the third construction level. Many items were found on this level, such as a metate
and muller, arrowhead
s, shell tempered pottery
, multiple fire beds, and objects made from deer bones. However, the most important was a structure dubbed the “House of Mysteries”. The builbing was an important civic structure, probably used for sacred rites and town gatherings, and had two rooms. Myers described the floor as being made of “black, glossy earth”. The walls and roof of the building were built using the cane matting technique and an arched roof. The woven cane matting was then covered inside and outside with a coating of clay plaster known as wattle and daub
. Inside the building was an altar, complete with an oval altar bowl. The bowl, filled with white, powdery ashes, was made of fired red clay. The fire was allowed to burn without being put out. The structure was eventually destroyed by fire. Mound No. 2 was in constant cultivation for at least 85 years, and as a result, only limited structural evidence exists for the final stage. However, numerous postholes indicate that there was a building constructed atop the mound during this phase. It is also important to note that a few burials from the later group of rectangular stone grave people were found close to the surface of Mound No. 2. These were discovered in 1895, when the farmer who owned the land plowed over them and decided to take a closer look.
region. Typically, the deceased were buried on their backs with their legs fully extended, as in a modern-day burial. The remains found in the two graves from this mound had been buried on their backs with their bodies tightly flexed. Their stone-slab graves were octagonal, hexagonal, or nearly round. When the first grave was opened, the slabs on top were missing and the bones had been slightly disturbed, probably by looters. It was octagonal and made from limestone slabs. Grave goods
found with the deceased included five large shell beads and a clay pot. The second grave was similar in size to the first, but it was hexagonal. As with the first grave, it had been disturbed by looters and the body was slightly repositioned. The grave goods found with the second set of remains included a small effigy burial vase (somehow over looked by the looters) and a mussel
shell, which was most likely a spoon.
in the field, given its shape by the removal of soil used for the construction of Mound No. 1. Erosion
and years of cultivation have destroyed any evidence of possible of associated structures atop the mound.
were discovered around the north side of Mound No. 1 and in an adjoining field that are thought to be the remains of domestic structures.. There is also a large number of these depressions to the west of Mound No. 2 and Mound No. 3. These buildings appear to have been made similarly to the ceremonial buildings found on top of the mounds, with cane matting and plastered walls.. Objects found in and around these depressions include bear teeth, arrowheads, broken animal bones, traces of plastered walls, stone disks
, and a store of yellow ochre
that was most likely used as body paint.
Upon excavation, one circular depression was found to be a nearly smooth, level, hard-packed floor. In the center of this structure was an upright, stone-slab fire basin, one side of which had been cut out; this was to allow room for the upright stone slab of a child’s grave. The child, thought to be about 12 years old, was found buried against the slab, with its head resting within the edges of the bowl.. Ashes remained in the bowl and also along the back and top of the child’s head, although the bones do not appear to have been burned at all. Graves of two other children, whose stone box graves were also found in and below the floor..
shells, pottery, spearheads, playing dice crafted from deer bones, and a black stone female statuette
.
in 1998. Grave goods removed included ceramic ear plugs
, effigy
jars, projectile points
, a drilled dog tooth and a bone awl
. As of April 23, 2010, efforts are being made to reinter the culturally unidentifiable remains from the Fewkes site.
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...
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,...
located in the city of Brentwood
Brentwood, Tennessee
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,445 people, 7,693 households, and 6,808 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,889 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.63% European American, 1.89% African American,...
, in Williamson County
Williamson County, Tennessee
Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010 US Census, the population was 183,182. The County's seat is Franklin, and it is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, a...
, 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...
. It is in Primm Historic Park on the grounds of Boiling Spring Academy, a historic schoolhouse established in 1830. The 15-acre site consists of the remains of a late 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....
mound complex and village roughly dating to 1050-1475 AD. The site, which sits on the western bank of the Little Harpeth River
Little Harpeth River
The Little Harpeth River is a tributary of the Harpeth River in Tennessee, just south of Nashville. Via the Harpeth, Cumberland, and Ohio rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed....
, has five mounds, some used for burial and others, including the largest, were ceremonial platform mound
Platform mound
A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity.-Eastern North America:The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period...
s. The village was abandoned for unknown reasons around 1450. The site is named in honor of Dr. J. Walter Fewkes
J. Walter Fewkes
Jesse Walter Fewkes was an American anthropologist, archaeologist, writer and naturalist. He was born in Newton, Massachusetts, and initially trained as a zoologist at Harvard University...
, the Chief of the Bureau of American Ethnology
Bureau of American Ethnology
The Bureau of American Ethnology was established in 1879 by an act of Congress for the purpose of transferring archives, records and materials relating to the Indians of North America from the Interior Department to the Smithsonian Institution...
in 1920, who had visited the site and recognized its potential.
While it was partially excavated by the landowner in 1895, archaeologist William E. Myer directed a second, more thorough excavation in October 1920. The report of his findings was published in the Bureau of American Ethnology’s Forty-First Annual Report. Many of the artifacts recovered from the site are now housed at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. It was added to the NHRP
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...
on April 21, 1980 as NRIS number 80003880.
Inhabitants
Two different groups of people lived at the Fewkes Site. The first group, who built the mounds and left the majority of artifacts, buried their dead with their bodies tightly flexed in hexagonal and circular stone box graveStone box grave
Stone box graves were a method of burial employed by Native Americans of the Mississippian culture in the American Midwest and Southeast. Their construction was especially common in the Cumberland River Basin around Nashville, Tennessee-Construction:...
s. This was probably achieved by tightly binding the body after death, because the bones appear to be in their proper places. These people appear to have lived in circular houses. This occupation dates to the Mississippian period, between 1000 – 1450. A second group moved into the area toward the end of the period. This group buried its dead with the bodies fully extended, on their backs, in rectangular stone box graves. Archaeological research done within the Middle Cumberland River Valley marks a virtual abandonment of the area around 1450. It is unknown what caused this, but the large amount of broken pottery on the floors of their homes may indicate that they were forced to leave in a hurry. This abandonment of the region is part of a larger pattern seen in parts of the Ohio
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...
, Mississippi
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, Tennessee
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
, and Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
valleys known as the “Vacant Quarter” hypothesis. As of 2010, officials at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is a Cabinet-level agency within the government of the U.S. state of Tennessee, headed by the Tennessee Commissioner of Environment and Conservation....
, Division of Archaeology
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...
, have been unable to identify modern tribal descendants of the inhabitants of the site.
Site description
There are five mounds at the Fewkes site. Four of them are located opposite of each other on each side of a level town plazaPlaza
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...
, and the fifth (smallest) mound is situated on the riverbank directly to the north of mound No. 1, outside the town center. (Looking at the site today, the Boiling Spring Schoolhouse now sits between mound No.1 and mound No. 5). Mound No. 1 is the largest at the site, being 25 feet (7.6 m) in height. Remnants of about a dozen house circles were found scattered around the outer edges of the group of mounds, mostly between mounds No.1 and No. 5. The most important houses adjoined mound No. 1 on the northeast side. These are represented on the 1920 map by circles. Traces of a stone box cemetery were also found on the property, not far from the mound complex.
Mound No. 1
Mound No. 1 is the largest mound at the complex and is located on the northern side of the town square. The platform mound is 25 feet (7.6 m) and measures 185 feet (56.4 m) by 160 feet (48.8 m) across. It was left unexcavated in 1920 because of a lack of funding, although archaeologist William Myer believed its use to be ceremonial, and possibly the location of a chief’s residence.Mound No. 2
Mound No. 2 is located on the western side of the plaza. It is 235 feet (71.6 m) across from north to south, and 160 feet (48.8 m) across east to west. At the time of excavation it reached 7.5 feet (2.3 m) high. Less than one-fifth of the area of the mound was excavated; because of this, it is impossible to know the number of structures constructed upon it. The mound was raised in four stages. The first level, at the base of the mound, was the original ground surface of the soil. In this layer, archaeologists discovered a fire bed filled with ashes and broken animal bones, indicating that a structure had existed there before the mound was built over top of it. After the house was torn down, the 3 foot (0.9144 m) high mound was constructed in its place. On the second level there is evidence that at least one building, and probably more, were constructed. The floor of this structure was packed down and layered with stone slabs, much like pavement. A small pile of maizeMaize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and maize meal were also found. In the southwestern segment of the mound were found the ruins of a structure, named by Myer the “Sacred Image House” because among the items found were the remains of a sacred idol, a shrine, and traces of fire ceremonies. After the buildings were torn down the mound was raised a few more inches for the third construction level. Many items were found on this level, such as a metate
Metate
A metate is a mortar, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican culture, metates were typically used by women who would grind calcified maize and other organic materials during food preparation...
and muller, arrowhead
Arrowhead
An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...
s, shell tempered pottery
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...
, multiple fire beds, and objects made from deer bones. However, the most important was a structure dubbed the “House of Mysteries”. The builbing was an important civic structure, probably used for sacred rites and town gatherings, and had two rooms. Myers described the floor as being made of “black, glossy earth”. The walls and roof of the building were built using the cane matting technique and an arched roof. The woven cane matting was then covered inside and outside with a coating of clay plaster known as wattle and daub
Wattle and daub
Wattle and daub is a composite building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw...
. Inside the building was an altar, complete with an oval altar bowl. The bowl, filled with white, powdery ashes, was made of fired red clay. The fire was allowed to burn without being put out. The structure was eventually destroyed by fire. Mound No. 2 was in constant cultivation for at least 85 years, and as a result, only limited structural evidence exists for the final stage. However, numerous postholes indicate that there was a building constructed atop the mound during this phase. It is also important to note that a few burials from the later group of rectangular stone grave people were found close to the surface of Mound No. 2. These were discovered in 1895, when the farmer who owned the land plowed over them and decided to take a closer look.
Mound No. 3
Mound No. 3 is a burial mound of the first inhabitants of the Fewkes group. It is a low oval mound on the southwestern corner of the plaza. The mound is about 3 foot (0.9144 m) high and 100 feet (30.5 m) by 110 feet (33.5 m) across, but slopes very gradually into the soil, so it is impossible to determine its exact boundaries. Originally, it probably held 10-15 graves, but unfortunately all except two have been destroyed by looters and plowing. These two graves were very different from the usual method of burial during the Mississippian period in the Middle TennesseeMiddle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is a distinct portion of the state of Tennessee, delineated according to state law as the 41 counties in the Middle Grand Division of Tennessee....
region. Typically, the deceased were buried on their backs with their legs fully extended, as in a modern-day burial. The remains found in the two graves from this mound had been buried on their backs with their bodies tightly flexed. Their stone-slab graves were octagonal, hexagonal, or nearly round. When the first grave was opened, the slabs on top were missing and the bones had been slightly disturbed, probably by looters. It was octagonal and made from limestone slabs. Grave goods
Grave goods
Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body.They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods are a type of votive deposit...
found with the deceased included five large shell beads and a clay pot. The second grave was similar in size to the first, but it was hexagonal. As with the first grave, it had been disturbed by looters and the body was slightly repositioned. The grave goods found with the second set of remains included a small effigy burial vase (somehow over looked by the looters) and a mussel
Mussel
The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...
shell, which was most likely a spoon.
Mound No. 4
Mound No. 4 is located on the east side of the plaza. It is low and oblong, about 4 feet (1.2 m) high, and 200 feet (61 m) by 180 feet (54.9 m) across. No evidence of fire pits, pottery, or graves were discovered in this mound. William Myer believed it to be a natural knollHillock
A hillock or knoll is a small hill, usually separated from a larger group of hills such as a range. Hillocks are similar in their distribution and size to small mesas or buttes. The term is largely a British one...
in the field, given its shape by the removal of soil used for the construction of Mound No. 1. Erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
and years of cultivation have destroyed any evidence of possible of associated structures atop the mound.
Mound No. 5
Mound No. 5 is a small oval mound 32 feet (9.8 m) across and 3.5 feet (1.1 m) high. It is located about 300 feet (91.4 m) north of Boiling Spring Academy overlooking the bank of the Little Harpeth River. There was no evidence of buildings or burials in this mound, although broken animal bones and pottery fragments were found scattered throughout the soil. Traces of a fire pit and two bone tools were also found.Structures
Many saucer-like depressionsDepression (geology)
A depression in geology is a landform sunken or depressed below the surrounding area. Depressions may be formed by various mechanisms.Structural or tectonic related:...
were discovered around the north side of Mound No. 1 and in an adjoining field that are thought to be the remains of domestic structures.. There is also a large number of these depressions to the west of Mound No. 2 and Mound No. 3. These buildings appear to have been made similarly to the ceremonial buildings found on top of the mounds, with cane matting and plastered walls.. Objects found in and around these depressions include bear teeth, arrowheads, broken animal bones, traces of plastered walls, stone disks
Chunkey
Chunkey is a game of Native American origin. It was played by rolling disc shaped stones across the ground and throwing spears at them in an attempt to place the spear as close to the stopped stone as possible...
, and a store of yellow ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
that was most likely used as body paint.
Upon excavation, one circular depression was found to be a nearly smooth, level, hard-packed floor. In the center of this structure was an upright, stone-slab fire basin, one side of which had been cut out; this was to allow room for the upright stone slab of a child’s grave. The child, thought to be about 12 years old, was found buried against the slab, with its head resting within the edges of the bowl.. Ashes remained in the bowl and also along the back and top of the child’s head, although the bones do not appear to have been burned at all. Graves of two other children, whose stone box graves were also found in and below the floor..
Other burials
Two burials were found about 100 feet (30.5 m) southeast of Mound No. 3. The first was a woman whose body was loosely flexed on her right side. There were no grave goods found. The second burial, located on the woman’s right, was simply a pile of bones. There were no grave goods or stone box coffin found in the burial. It is not known if this person had a connection with the deceased woman. Other burials were discovered scattered around the site, from the later group of people who inhabited the area. Grave goods for these burials included conchConch
A conch is a common name which is applied to a number of different species of medium-sized to large sea snails or their shells, generally those which are large and have a high spire and a siphonal canal....
shells, pottery, spearheads, playing dice crafted from deer bones, and a black stone female statuette
Mississippian stone statuary
The Mississippian stone statuary are artifacts of polished stone in the shape of human figurines made by members of the Mississippian culture and found in archaeological sites in the American Midwest and Southeast...
.
Excavations in 1998
The remains of at least 21 individuals, along with their funerary objects, were removed from the Fewkes group site during a road construction project by the Tennessee Department of TransportationTennessee Department of Transportation
The Tennessee Department of Transportation is a multimodal agency with statewide responsibilities in aviation, public transit, waterways and railroads...
in 1998. Grave goods removed included ceramic ear plugs
Plug (jewellery)
A plug , in the context of body modification, is a short, cylindrical piece of jewellery commonly worn in larger-gauge body piercings. Because of their size—which is often substantially thicker than a standard wire earring—plugs can be made out of almost any material...
, effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
jars, projectile points
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....
, a drilled dog tooth and a bone awl
Bradawl
A bradawl is a tool with a blade similar to that of a straight screwdriver and a handle made from wood or plastic. A bradawl is used to make an indentation in wood or other materials in order to ease the insertion of a nail or screw...
. As of April 23, 2010, efforts are being made to reinter the culturally unidentifiable remains from the Fewkes site.