Fisher Farm Site
Encyclopedia
The Fisher Farm Site is an archaeological site
in Centre County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. Located in fields on the outskirts of Unionville
, it is one of central Pennsylvania's leading archaeological sites.
. While the site primarily includes farm fields
, the site is divided into two sections by a railroad line, and a former streambed
is located amid the fields. west of central Unionville Farmers have plowed the fields west of central Unionville since at least the 1870s, but the area was farmed before European settlement. Investigations at the site have led archaeologists to conclude that the site is that of a Late Woodland
farming village that was occupied between AD 1200 and 1600.
recovered in 1977 were nine burials and sixty-three other items of interest, while the 1978 excavation yielded pollen
and carbon-14
samples useful for dating
and reconstructing the profile of the site respectively. The site was named for its owner, Ivan Fisher.
d villages along rivers; sites such as Fisher Farm, which was smaller than the fortified villages and located along a less significant waterway, had been little studied. It has been suggested that these small villages were politically connected to the larger communities, although whether individuals would migrate between large and small villages is disputed. Much of the cultural evidence at the site is derived from pottery recovered in 1978 from the former streambed. While previous models had held that different styles of pottery replaced one another in a sudden fashion, the development of designs seen at Fisher Farm seems to indicate a more gradual transition from style to style. Finally, the Fisher Farm Site was the first of many villages to be excavated in the Nittany Valley
; as such, it has become somewhat of a type site
in the region. Findings at the site have led to the proposal of a new model of Late Woodland culture in the region.
for its place as 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,...
in Centre County
Centre County, Pennsylvania
Centre County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 153,990....
, 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...
. Located in fields on the outskirts of Unionville
Unionville, Centre County, Pennsylvania
Unionville is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, it is one of central Pennsylvania's leading archaeological sites.
Profile
The Fisher Farm Site encompasses approximately 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) on the northern bank of Bald Eagle CreekBald Eagle Creek (West Branch Susquehanna River)
Bald Eagle Creek is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River mostly in Centre County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It runs through the Bald Eagle Valley at the foot of the Bald Eagle Mountain ridge to Lock Haven....
. While the site primarily includes farm fields
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, the site is divided into two sections by a railroad line, and a former streambed
Stream bed
A stream bed is the channel bottom of a stream, river or creek; the physical confine of the normal water flow. The lateral confines or channel margins, during all but flood stage, are known as the stream banks or river banks. In fact, a flood occurs when a stream overflows its banks and flows onto...
is located amid the fields. west of central Unionville Farmers have plowed the fields west of central Unionville since at least the 1870s, but the area was farmed before European settlement. Investigations at the site have led archaeologists to conclude that the site is that of a Late Woodland
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...
farming village that was occupied between AD 1200 and 1600.
Excavations
Archaeological excavations of the Fisher Farm Site commenced in 1976 and continued through 1978. Based on the tests conduted in 1976, the large-scale excavations of 1977 and 1978 resulted in the removal of hundreds of square meters of field and former streambed above Bald Eagle Creek. Among the artifactsArtifact (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"...
recovered in 1977 were nine burials and sixty-three other items of interest, while the 1978 excavation yielded pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
and carbon-14
Carbon-14
Carbon-14, 14C, or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with a nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic materials is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and colleagues , to date archaeological, geological, and hydrogeological...
samples useful for dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
and reconstructing the profile of the site respectively. The site was named for its owner, Ivan Fisher.
Conclusions
The Fisher Farm Site has been crucial to the understanding of Late Woodland archaeology in central Pennsylvania. Before excavations at Fisher Farm, research at Late Woodland villages in the region had been conducted at stockadeStockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide security.-Stockade as a security fence:...
d villages along rivers; sites such as Fisher Farm, which was smaller than the fortified villages and located along a less significant waterway, had been little studied. It has been suggested that these small villages were politically connected to the larger communities, although whether individuals would migrate between large and small villages is disputed. Much of the cultural evidence at the site is derived from pottery recovered in 1978 from the former streambed. While previous models had held that different styles of pottery replaced one another in a sudden fashion, the development of designs seen at Fisher Farm seems to indicate a more gradual transition from style to style. Finally, the Fisher Farm Site was the first of many villages to be excavated in the Nittany Valley
Nittany Valley
The Nittany Valley is an eroded anticlinal valley in the central portion of Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is separated from the Bald Eagle Valley by Bald Eagle Mountain and from Penns Valley by Mount Nittany. The valley is closed to the north by a high plateau that joins...
; as such, it has become somewhat of a type site
Type site
In archaeology a type site is a site that is considered the model of a particular archaeological culture...
in the region. Findings at the site have led to the proposal of a new model of Late Woodland culture in the region.
Recognition
In 1982, the Fisher Farm Site was placed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational 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 place as a significant archaeological site.
See also
- List of Native American archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
Further reading
- Hatch, James W., ed. The Fisher Farm Site: A Late Woodland Hamlet in Context. State CollegeState College, PennsylvaniaState College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
: Pennsylvania State UPennsylvania State UniversityThe Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
Department of Anthropology Occasional Papers 12, 1980.