Freel Farm Mound Site

Last updated
Freel Farm Mound Site
(40 AN 22)
Freel farm mound floor.jpg
USA Tennessee location map.svg
Archaeological site icon (red).svg
Location within Tennessee today
Location Oak Ridge, Tennessee,  Anderson County, Tennessee, Flag of the United States.svg  USA
Region Anderson County, Tennessee
Coordinates 35°58′24″N84°13′06″W / 35.97333°N 84.21833°W / 35.97333; -84.21833
History
Cultures Late Woodland Culture
Site notes
Excavation dates1934
Archaeologists William S. Webb, T.M.N. Lewis, A.P. Taylor
Architecture
Architectural styles burial mound
Responsible body: Tennessee Valley Authority, Civil Works Administration, Federal Relief Administration

The Freel Farm Mound Site (40AN22) [1] (formerly 7AN22) [2] is an archaeological site and burial mound of the Late Woodland period located on the Oak Ridge Reservation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The site was excavated in 1934 as part of the Norris Basin Survey by the Tennessee Valley Authority using labor from the Civil Works Administration under the supervision of T.M.N. Lewis. Important finds of the excavation include 17 burials and a few artifacts. The artifacts and records from the fieldwork are held by the McClung Museum in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Contents

Site Description

The Freel Farm Mound is located on the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation. The site is currently inundated by Melton Hill Lake. [3] At the time of excavation the mound was located on the William Freel farm 2 miles southeast of Scarboro, Tennessee. [2] The site was located 1200 feet from the western side of the Clinch River in a wide valley with ridges to the east and west [2] in a prominently wooded knoll. [3] During the excavation the mound resided on land that had been owned by the Freel family for over 135 years. [2] The field surrounding the mound had been traditionally farmed; however the mound itself had never been disturbed. Webb described the mound as covered with undergrowth and having eight large trees growing from it. [2] The largest tree was a white oak that measured 23 inches in diameter. [2] The roots from the trees had extensively penetrated the mound. [2] A part of the mound on the western side had been removed to create a dirt road.

The mound was circular shaped with a diameter of 40 feet and a height of eight feet above the original ground surface at its midpoint. [2] It was created from hard-packed yellow clay with small specs of charcoal inside. [2] The mound had one indication of a grave excavation below the original forest ground level near the center of the mound. [2] In this grave was "Burial No. 17", the body had been covered by large stones. [2]

The stone pile was stacked to form a circular shape that measured 16 feet and 4 inches in diameter and rose above the original ground surface approximately 1 foot. [2] "Burial No. 17" and the stone circle made up the original increment of the construction site. [2] The earth on top of the stones was added as additional bodies were interred into the mound. [2]

The mound is associated with the Late Woodland period and was likely created between 500 and 1000 CE. [3] The basis of this assessment is related to the burial practices of the individuals within the mound. [3] The differences in the mortuary treatment of individuals at Freel Farm mound indicate a non-egalitarian society had formed. [4]

Recent History of the Site

Freel Farm mound was excavated in 1934 due to its location in the Norris reservoir basin project area. In the 1930s as Norris Dam was being constructed the Tennessee Valley Authority sponsored an archaeological survey of the Norris basin. The survey had three key goals; the discovery of all prehistoric sites within the basin, the excavation of all sites found, the recovery and preservation of all information and material of archaeological value. [2] The survey found 23 sites of prehistoric significance. Freel Farm mound was the 22nd site. The location of the mound was actually downstream of Norris Dam and would not have been affected by the collecting waters, but was excavated due to its proximity to the basin. [3]

The Tennessee Valley Authority, along with the Civil Works Administration, and the Federal Relief Administration hired T.M.N. Lewis to oversee the archaeological survey. Lewis served as a district supervisor on the excavation of the site and A.P. Taylor served as the field supervisor. [2]

In the 1960s the construction of the Melton Hill Dam to the south of Oak Ridge, Tennessee caused the water levels along the Clinch River to rise permanently submerging the Freel Farm mound. [3]

Excavation

The mound was staked into 5-foot squares, along the cardinal directions. [2] The northeastern stake was designated as the zero stake. [2] The squares were designated southward by integers and westward by decimals. [2] Stratification was not discernable and there was no evidence of intrusion. [2] Care was taken to maintain vertical profiles every five feet and to keep a clean floor in the trench going down to the hardpan. [2]

The excavation revealed no evidence of midden material. [2] Also no potsherds were found in the mound. [2] There was no evidence on the site of any structures and very little information that would give any information as to who built the mound. [2] The burials and the stacked stone circle were the outstanding features discovered in the mound. [2] It was also determined during the excavation that the yellow clay used to cover the mound was clean and brought in to cover the bodies laid on the surface. [2]

Burials

17 burials were found within the mound. [2] Webb numbered the burials in the order in which they were found. [2]

Burial No. 1: Fully flexed adult. The preservation of material is poor. A piece of drilled conch shell was found near the neck of the skeleton. [2]

Burial No. 2: Partially flexed adult on the ground floor. [2]

Burial No. 3: Poorly preserved partially flexed adult on the ground floor. [2]

Burial No. 4: Eleven inches below the mound surface a poorly preserved partially flexed skeleton. [2]

Burial No. 5: Greatly decayed bones on the ground surface. [2]

Burial No. 6 and Burial No. 7: Portions of three bodies, two adults and one child. Poor preservation of the bones was due to the action of the roots of the trees. [2]

Burial No. 8: Poorly preserved portion of a skull and the lower limbs of a fully flexed adult found 22 inches above the ground floor. [2]

Burial No. 9: Found just below the mound surface was a nearly disintegrated adult. A flint spear point was also found. [2]

Burial No. 10: A crushed skull found 10 inches above the ground floor beneath the base of a tree. [2]

Burial No. 11: Poorly preserved skull, clavicle, and rib of an adult found 20 inches above ground floor. [2]

Burial No. 12: Poorly preserved adult found 18 inches above the ground floor. [2]

Burial No. 13: A bundle burial not in anatomical order. [2]

Burial No. 14: Poorly preserved and partially disturbed adult found 15 inches above the ground floor. Some of the remains are not in anatomical order. A rock was placed over the leg bones. [2]

Burial No. 15: A bundle burial not in anatomical order. [2]

Burial No. 16: Crushed skull on the ground floor. Found near a perforated shell bead. [2]

Burial No. 17: The best preserved and the original skeleton that was placed in the mound. [2] This skeleton was the only one in good enough condition to be studied and measured by W.D. Funkhouser, a physical anthropologist from the University of Kentucky. [5] Funkhouser took the measurements Burial No. 17 and compared them with measurements from other individuals found during the Norris Basin Survey.

See also

Selected Books, Monographs, and Papers

Administration, U. D. (2006). Findings of No Significant Impact and Final Environmental Assessment for the Y-12 Potable Water System Upgrade. Oak Ridge, TN: U.S. Department of Energy.

Webb, W. S. (1938). Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 118: An Archaeological Survey of the Norris Basin in Eastern Tennessee. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Fielder, G. F. (1974). Archaeological Survey with Emphasis on Prehistoric Sites of the Oak Ridge Reservation Oak Ridge Tennessee. Oak Ridge, TN: Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

DuVall, G. D. (1994). An Archaeological Reconnaissance and Evaluation of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, Anderson and Roane Counties, Tennessee. Nashville: DuVall & Associates, Inc. Cultural Resources and Environmental Services.

Funkhouser, W. (1938). A Study of the Physical Anthropology and Pathology of the Osteological Material From the Norris Basin. In W. S. Webb, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 118: An Archaeological Survey of the Norris Basin in Eastern Tennessee. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Ridge, Tennessee</span> City in Anderson and Roane counties in Tennessee, United States

Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about 25 miles (40 km) west of downtown Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 31,402 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Knoxville Metropolitan Area. Oak Ridge's nicknames include the Atomic City, the Secret City, the Ridge, the Town the Atomic Bomb Built, and the City Behind the Fence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Tennessee River</span> River in the United States of America

The Little Tennessee River is a 135-mile (217 km) tributary of the Tennessee River that flows through the Blue Ridge Mountains from Georgia, into North Carolina, and then into Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. It drains portions of three national forests— Chattahoochee, Nantahala, and Cherokee— and provides the southwestern boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinson Mounds</span> Archaeological park

The Pinson Mounds comprise a prehistoric Native American complex located in Madison County, Tennessee, in the region that is known as the Eastern Woodlands. The complex, which includes 17 mounds, an earthen geometric enclosure, and numerous habitation areas, was most likely built during the Middle Woodland period. The complex is the largest group of Middle Woodland mounds in the United States. Sauls' Mound, at 72 feet (22 m), is the second-highest surviving mound in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adena culture</span> Pre-Columbian Native American culture

The Adena culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 500 BCE to 100 CE, in a time known as the Early Woodland period. The Adena culture refers to what were probably a number of related Native American societies sharing a burial complex and ceremonial system. The Adena culture was centered on the location of the modern state of Ohio, but also extended into contiguous areas of northern Kentucky, eastern Indiana, West Virginia, and parts of extreme western Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criel Mound</span> United States historic place

The Criel Mound, also known as the South Charleston Mound, is a Native American burial mound located in South Charleston, West Virginia. It is one of the few surviving mounds of the Kanawha Valley Mounds that were probably built in the Woodland period after 500 B.C. The mound was built by the Adena culture, probably around 250–150 BC, and lay equidistant between two “sacred circles”, earthwork enclosures each 556 feet (169 m) in diameter. It was originally 33 feet (10 m) high and 173 feet (53 m) in diameter at the base, making it the second-largest such burial mound in the state of West Virginia. This archaeological site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Tennessee Agriculture Farm Mound</span> United States historic place

The UTK Agriculture Farm Mound site is an archaeological site on the agriculture campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The site is a burial mound made by people of the Woodland period, and has been dated as early as ca. 644 AD. Today, the site is a landmark on the UTK campus and is listed in the National Register for Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norris Dam State Park</span> United States historic place

Norris Dam State Park is a state park in Anderson County and Campbell County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park is situated along the shores of Norris Lake, an impoundment of the Clinch River created by the completion of Norris Dam in 1936. The park consists of 4,038 acres (16.34 km2) managed by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The park also administers the Lenoir Museum Complex, which interprets the area's aboriginal, pioneer, and early 20th-century history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Ridge State Park</span> State park in Tennessee, United States

Big Ridge State Park is a state park in Union County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park consists of 3,687 acres (14.92 km2) on the southern shore of the Norris Reservoir, an impoundment of the Clinch River created by the completion of Norris Dam in 1936. Much of the park's recreational focus is on Big Ridge Lake, a 45-acre (0.18 km2) sub-impoundment of Norris near the center of the park.

The Pisgah phase is an archaeological phase of the South Appalachian Mississippian culture in Southeast North America. It is associated with the Appalachian Summit area of southeastern Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and northwestern South Carolina in what is now the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Town (Franklin, Tennessee)</span>

Old Town is an archaeological site in Williamson County, Tennessee near Franklin. The site includes the remnants of a Native American village and mound complex of the Mississippian culture, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as Old Town Archaeological Site (40WM2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tolu Site</span>

The Tolu Site is a prehistoric archeological site of the Mississippian culture near the unincorporated community of Tolu, Crittenden County, Kentucky, United States. It was built and occupied between 1200-1450 CE. No carbon dating has been performed at the site, but analysis of pottery styles suggest its major habitation period was 1200 to 1300 CE. The site originally had three mounds, a burial mound, a substructure platform mound and one other of undetermined function. It was excavated in 1930 by W.S. Webb and William D. Funkhouser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bynum Mound and Village Site</span> Historic place in Mississippi, United States

The Bynum Mound and Village Site (22CS501) is a Middle Woodland period archaeological site located near Houston in Chickasaw County, Mississippi. The complex of six burial mounds was in use during the Miller 1 and Miller 2 phases of the Miller culture and was built between 100 BC and 100 AD. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 as part of the Natchez Trace Parkway at milepost 232.4.

The Beasley Mounds Site (40SM43) is a Mississippian culture archaeological site located at the confluence of Dixon Creek and the Cumberland River near the unincorporated community of Dixon Springs in Smith County, Tennessee. The site was first excavated by amateur archaeologists in the 1890s. More examples of Mississippian stone statuary have been found at the site than any other in the Middle Tennessee area. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brick Church Mound and Village Site</span>

The Brick Church Mound and Village Site (40DV39) is a Mississippian culture archaeological site located in Nashville in Davidson County, Tennessee. It was excavated in the late nineteenth century by Frederic Ward Putnam. During excavations in the early 1970s the site produced a unique cache of ceramic figurines very similar in style to Mississippian stone statuary which are now on display at the Frank H. McClung Museum. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on May 7, 1973 as NRIS number 73001759 although this did not save the site from being almost totally destroyed by residential development.

Stone box graves were a method of burial used by Native Americans of the Mississippian culture in the Midwestern United States and the Southeastern United States. Their construction was especially common in the Cumberland River Basin, in settlements found around present-day Nashville, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fewkes Group Archaeological Site</span>

Fewkes Group Archaeological Site, also known as the Boiling Springs Site, is a pre American history Native American archaeological site located in the city of Brentwood, in Williamson County, Tennessee. It is in Primm Historic Park on the grounds of Boiling Spring Academy, a historic schoolhouse established in 1830. The 15-acre site consists of the remains of a late Mississippian culture mound complex and village roughly dating to 1050-1475 AD. The site, which sits on the western bank of the Little Harpeth River, has five mounds, some used for burial and others, including the largest, were ceremonial platform mounds. The village was abandoned for unknown reasons around 1450. The site is named in honor of Dr. J. Walter Fewkes, the Chief of the Bureau of American Ethnology in 1920, who had visited the site and recognized its potential. While it was partially excavated by the landowner in 1895, archaeologist William E. Myer directed a second, more thorough excavation in October 1920. The report of his findings was published in the Bureau of American Ethnology's Forty-First Annual Report. Many of the artifacts recovered from the site are now housed at the Smithsonian Institution. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 21, 1980, as NRIS number 80003880.

The Freel Farm Mound Site (40AN22) is an archaeological site and burial mound of the Woodland cultural period located on the Oak Ridge Reservation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The site was excavated in 1934 as part of the Norris Basin Survey by the Tennessee Valley Authority using labor from the Civil Works Administration under the supervision of T.M.N. Lewis. Important finds of the excavation include 17 burials and a few artifacts. The artifacts and records from the fieldwork are held by the McClung Museum in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The Carlston Annis Shell Mound is a prominent archaeological site in the western part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Located along the Green River in Butler County, this shell midden has been declared a historic site because of its archaeological value.

The Mouse Creek phase is an archaeological culture of the Eastern Tennessee region of Mississippian chiefdoms, first defined by T. M. N. Lewis and Madeline Kneberg in their examinations of the Chickamauga Basin. This area exhibits artifacts, burials, and architecture distinct from other settlements in the area. The region was occupied from around 1400–1600.

Hiwassee Island, also known as Jollys Island and Benham Island, is located in Meigs County, Tennessee, at the confluence of the Tennessee and Hiwassee Rivers. It is about 35 mi (56 km) northeast of Chattanooga. The island was the second largest land mass on the Tennessee River at 781 acres before the Tennessee Valley Authority created the Chickamauga Lake as a part of the dam system on the Tennessee River in 1940. Much of the island is now submerged, leaving 400 acres above the waterline.

References

  1. Administration, U.S. Department of Energy: National Nuclear Security (2006). Findings of No Significant Impact and Final Environmental Assessment for the Y-12 Potable Water System Upgrade. Oak Ridge, TN: U.S. Department of Energy.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 Webb, William S. (1938). Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 118: An Archaeological Survey of the Norris Basin in Eastern Tennessee. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fielder, George F Jr. (1974). Archaeological Survey with Emphasis on Prehistoric Sites of the Oak Ridge Reservation Oak Ridge Tennessee (PDF). Oak Ridge, TN: Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
  4. DuVall, DuVall (1994). An Archaeological Reconnaissance and Evaluation of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, Anderson and Roane Counties, Tennessee (PDF). Nashville, TN: DuVall & Associates, Inc. Cultural Resources and Environmental Services.
  5. Funkhouser, W.D.; Webb, William S. (1938). Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 118: An Archaeological Survey of the Norris Basin in Eastern Tennessee. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.