ARCHEOLOGY OF THE JOHN H. KEER 



RESERVOIR BASIN, ROANOKE 



RIVER, VIRGINIA-NORTH CAROLINA 



By Carl F. Miller 



INTRODUCTION 



RECONNAISSANCE AND SURVEY 



During the period from February 14 to May 1, 1947, a preliminary 

 archeological reconnaissance was made of the John PL Kerr ^ (for- 

 merly Buggs Island) Reservoir area in Mecklenburg, Halifax, and 

 Charlotte Counties, in Virginia, and Warren, Vance, and Granville 

 Counties, in North Carolina, by the River Basin Surveys of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution (Miller, 1947). The work was done at the request 

 of the National Park Service, which, in turn, cooperated with the 

 United States Corps of Engineers in making studies of the reservoir 

 projects. This project was carried on as one phase of the general sal- 

 vage program of the River Basin Surveys, Smithsonian Institution. 



The primary purpose of this reconnaissance was to locate all archeo- 

 logical sites, or as many as possible, within the reservoir limits; to 

 appraise their informational values ; and to determine which of them 

 covered the entire archeological range. The original sites were located 

 by means of inquiry and exploration. Investigations were limited, 

 for the most part, to surface examination, to testing, and to the exami- 

 nation of various local collections. 



Coverage of the basin was by foot and by jeep. 



Site locations were recorded on maps furnished bj'' the U.S. Corps 

 of Engineers, and data pertaining thereto were recorded in the form 

 of field notes, site descriptions, sketch maps, and photographs. The 

 subsequent purpose of the survey was not only to briefly describe 

 all the archeological sites within the limits of the reservoir area but 

 later to excavate a number of "key sites," furnishing complete cultural 

 coverage of the prehistoric occupation represented therein. 



The principal cities in the immediate area of the reservoir are 

 Boydton, Chase City, and Clarksville in Mecklenburg County, Va. ; 



1 The name of the Buggs Island Dam and Reservoir was changed by Public Law No. 205, 

 82d Congress, as of October 24, 1951, to the John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir. 



