IIO SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



crushed shell which had served as the tempering material. Bits of 

 soapstone vessels were also found. The types and condition of the 

 objects discovered suggest that this was a permanent village rather 

 than a temporary camp, and the uniformity of the weathering makes 

 it appear that all articles of stone were made and used about the 

 same time. 



Later in the year several sites farther up the river, which had like- 

 wise been exposed by the spring freshet, were visited and examined. 

 The material discovered, much of which differs from that now 

 figured, will be described and illustrated at another time. 



Floods have been recorded ever since the country was settled by 

 the English, when much of the heavy timber was cleared away and 

 the ground was cultivated and leveled. The loosened earth was often 

 inundated and gullied, as during the spring of 1937, and although the 

 masses of refuse which had accumulated in and about the native vil- 

 lages during different periods of occupancy were once distinct and 

 stratified or separated, all became intermingled by the force of the 

 waters. This readily explains the variety of objects, made of various 

 materials, often encountered on the same site. Such conditions pre- 

 vailed not only on the Rappahannock but in the vicinity of other 

 streams as well. 



Some years ago a beautiful example of the eastern form of Folsom 

 points was discovered near the left bank of the river a few miles 

 below the site just described. Unfortunately, it was found on the 

 surface, not beneath it, but this is not significant because, as explained 

 above, the clearing and cultivating of the land enabled the periodic 

 flood waters to change the contour of the land rapidly, and the Folsom 

 point may therefore have once been well below the surface. The 

 occurrence of the point in this region may be accepted as proof that 

 man was here many centuries ago, although just how early he reached 

 the country eastward from the mountains will be impossible to deter- 

 mine until more evidence is available. 



During the year 1937, as for several preceding years, a superficial 

 examination was made of many sites both above and below the falls 

 of the Rappahannock. The results were interesting and satisfactory, 

 and have led to the belief that an intensive investigation, including the 

 excavation of certain areas, would prove of exceptional value and 

 shed light on the manners and ways of life, and possibly reveal the 

 identity, of the early inhabitants of the valley. 



