Memorial Park Site
Encyclopedia
The Memorial Park Site, also known as Memorial Park Site 36Cn164, is an archaeological site
located near the confluence of Bald Eagle Creek
and the West Branch Susquehanna River
in Lock Haven
in the U.S. state
of Pennsylvania
. Research projects conducted at the site since 1979 have found prehistoric cultural deposits that collectively span 8,000 years.
Stratified
in age-related sequence, the deposits represent every major prehistoric period from the Middle Archaic to the Late Woodland. The site's dominant component holds the remains of an early Late Woodland (500–1000 CE
) village inhabited by people of the Clemson Island culture. The convergent streams and their two valleys made the site readily accessible to pre-Columbian
people living in both drainage basins.
Memorial Park contains the only area on the West Branch side of the point of land between the river and the creek that has not been disturbed by subsequent development. Alluvial
deposits 20 to 28 in (50.8 to 71.1 cm) deep cover the site and have protected it from recent activity on the surface. The Veterans of Foreign Wars
acquired the property in the 1920s and used it for a park.
Piper Aircraft bought the fields adjacent to the park in the 1960s to use for airport runways and airplane storage. In the 1970s, Conran A. Hay, a consultant, discovered the prehistoric site during an archeological survey conducted for the United States Army Corps of Engineers
. Subsequent research sponsored by the Office of State Archeology and the Office of Historic Preservation of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
in 1980 helped determine the site boundaries.
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 near the confluence of Bald Eagle Creek
Bald Eagle Creek
Bald Eagle Creek is a tributary of the Little Juniata River in Blair County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It runs southwest through the Bald Eagle Valley at the foot of the Bald Eagle Mountain ridge to Tyrone....
and the West Branch Susquehanna River
West Branch Susquehanna River
The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the extension of the main branch, with the shorter West Branch...
in Lock Haven
Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
The city of Lock Haven is the county seat of Clinton County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek, it is the principal city of the Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, micropolitan statistical area, itself part of the...
in 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 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...
. Research projects conducted at the site since 1979 have found prehistoric cultural deposits that collectively span 8,000 years.
Stratified
Stratification (archeology)
Stratification is a paramount and base concept in archaeology, especially in the course of excavation. It is largely based on the Law of Superposition...
in age-related sequence, the deposits represent every major prehistoric period from the Middle Archaic to the Late Woodland. The site's dominant component holds the remains of an early Late Woodland (500–1000 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
) village inhabited by people of the Clemson Island culture. The convergent streams and their two valleys made the site readily accessible to pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian era
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
people living in both drainage basins.
Memorial Park contains the only area on the West Branch side of the point of land between the river and the creek that has not been disturbed by subsequent development. Alluvial
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
deposits 20 to 28 in (50.8 to 71.1 cm) deep cover the site and have protected it from recent activity on the surface. The Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...
acquired the property in the 1920s and used it for a park.
Piper Aircraft bought the fields adjacent to the park in the 1960s to use for airport runways and airplane storage. In the 1970s, Conran A. Hay, a consultant, discovered the prehistoric site during an archeological survey conducted for the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
. Subsequent research sponsored by the Office of State Archeology and the Office of Historic Preservation of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage...
in 1980 helped determine the site boundaries.
See also
- List of archaeological periods (North America)
- List of Native American archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Clinton County, PennsylvaniaNational Register of Historic Places listings in Clinton County, PennsylvaniaThis is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Clinton County, Pennsylvania.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, United States...