Baltz, Christopher J. (Gray & Pape Cultural Resources Consultants, Cincinnati)
PHASE I & II INVESTIGATIONS AT THE PROPOSED RIVER VALLEY MARINA NEAR MAUCKPORT,
HARRISON COUNTY, INDIANA
In the summer and fall of 1992, Gray & Pape, Inc., conducted Phase I and II
investigations at the proposed River Valley Yacht Club, a 55 acre plot located
in the Ohio River floodplain near Mauckport, Harrison County, Indiana. The project
lies immediately east of the Matthew E. Welsh bridge over the Ohio River, and
west of the confluence of Buck Creek with the Ohio River. The project evaluated
three previously recorded sites (12 Hr 31, 12 Hr 36, and 12 Hr 101), one previously
undocumented site (12 Hr 379), and two historic components of 12 Hr 101 (12 Hr
101- A and 12 Hr 101-B).
In order to evaluate the three recorded sites and the remainder of the area, a
sampling strategy was devised whereby a 10% sample was collected across the entire
project area through a controlled surface collection. Transects were placed at
10 meter intervals and divided into 10 meter long segments. A 1 meter wide collection
was made in each of the transects. The surface collection produced 61,198 chipped
stone artifacts (tools and debitage), 80 hammerstones, and 5,756 pieces of fire-
cracked rock. Phase II investigations produced 11,893 additional stone artifacts
and 4,003 historic artifacts.
Results of the geoarchaeological investigations and Phase I and II archaeological
investigations indicate that site 12 Hr 101 contains an Early-Middle Woodland
midden averaging 50 cm thick and is underlain by a Late Archaic zone without midden
deposits. The Late Archaic habitation lies on the lowest stable landform on this
floodplain ridge. Site 12 Hr 36, located on an older landform, also contains midden
deposits and cultural materials from the Early Archaic through the Late Woodland
periods. Historic component 12 Hr 101-A represents a homestead, probably a log
house and outbuilding, that was occupied from about A.D. 1820 -1860. It was owned
for the first half of this period by members of the Mauck family, particulary
Peter Mauck, the brother of the man who laid out Mauckport. No subsurface features
were encountered at the historic site.
This results of the project have provided an insight into the Early and Middle
Woodland exploitation of the Wyandotte chert in the setting of a habitation site.
For years, archaeologists have known of the importance of this chert during the
Middle Woodland period, and that sources of chert, such as Wyandotte Cave, were
extensively exploited during these times. However, this is a habitation site,
and there is precious little information on this type of site during the Middle
Woodland period in this area. [return to 1992 abstracts menu][continue to next]