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THE TRINITY SITE CUMBERLAND POINT CACHE
TRINITY SITE
PALEO INDIAN CULTURE
LEWIS COUNTY, KENTUCKY
EARLY PALEO
PAGE 1 OF 2 PAGES
COPYRIGHT JULY 31, 2006 PETER A. BOSTROM

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF THE "AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AMATEUR ARCHAEOLOGY"
FROM THE AMATEUR ARCHAEOLOGIST, 1999----PHOTO BY RICHARD MICHAEL GRAMLY, PhD.
 CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
TRINITY SITE EXCAVATION
LEWIS COUNTY, KENTUCKY

   Dave McCall and Dennis Vesper excavating the Trinity site Cumberland point cache. Years of surface collecting and recent excavations have retrieved 11 Cumberland points. Most of the points were assembled from broken fragments. The site is located on an ancient river terrace about 40 to 50 feet above the Ohio river flats.

Abstract image of Cumberland points.

ABSTRACT
CUMBERLAND POINTS CACHE
TRINITY SITE
LEWIS COUNTY, KENTUCKY

   This article illustrates and describes several Cumberland points that were discovered over a period of several years in a small area in a cultivated field in northern Kentucky. They were found by surface collecting and excavation. The Trinity site had been severely disturbed from plowing and a bull-dozing operation that removed a hog barn in 1988. As a result, most of the points were found in broken fragments that were reassembled into complete or nearly complete points. Except for Cumberland points, no other diagnostic material, that might apply to early Paleo cultures, was found. This is the only known cache of Cumberland points found to date.
   Note: Several of the Cumberland points illustrated in this article are pictures taken of casts rather than the original artifacts.

    "The Trinity site stands alone as the only cached group of Cumberland fluted points (in the strict sense) known to science."---------2005, Richard Michael Gramly, "VII Additional Discoveries At The Trinity Cumberland Site: A Tribute To Dave McCall," The Amateur Archaeologist, Combined Vol. 11, No. 1 & Vol. 11 No. 2, p. 103.
    "No archaeological feature containing Cumberland points has ever been absolutely dated."---------1999, Richard Michael Gramly, "V. A Cumberland Point Site Near Trinity, Lewis County, Northern Kentucky," The Amateur Archaeologist, Vol. 6, No. 1, p. 63.

Abstract image.
THE TRINITY SITE CUMBERLAND CACHE
LEWIS COUNTY, KENTUCKY
TRINITY SITE

   The Trinity site was discovered by Dave McCall and named after the town of Trinity, in Lewis County, northern Kentucky. The site is located about a mile southwest of town and situated on an ancient river terrace about 40 to 50 feet above the Ohio river flats.

Seven Cumberland points from the Trinity cache.
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CUMBERLAND POINT CACHE
TRINITY SITE
LEWIS COUNTY, KENTUCKY

    This picture shows seven of the eleven Cumberland points that were found on the Trinity site. They were collected over a period of several years by surface collecting and excavating a small area of a cultivated field. Most of the points were assembled from multiple fragments that were broken from heavy equipment used in normal farming activities. Two or more of the points in this picture have some restoration. The point in the center has some restoration to both "ears" and the point to the right of it has some restoration on the edge. The top left point fragment is believed to be made of Upper Mercer chert, the long point in the center is made of Paoli (Carter Cave) chert and the rest of the points in this picture are made of Wyandotte chert. The complete and nearly complete points range in size from 3 7/16 inches (8.7 cm) to 4 3/8 inches (11.2 cm) long. Some, but not all, of the points in this picture are casts.

    Dave McCall, discovered several  Cumberland point fragments on this site between the years 1989 and 1998. During that time he also found one complete and undamaged example. He was further able to retrieve more Cumberland point fragments from three other people who were involved in surface collecting and farming the site. In recent years Dave McCall and Dennis Vesper have discovered more Cumberland point fragments by excavating and sifting through piles of soil that had been disturbed by a bull dozing operation that removed an old hog barn.

Cumberland point from the Trinity cache.
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CUMBERLAND POINT
TRINITY SITE
LEWIS COUNTY, KENTUCKY

   This is the only complete and undamaged Cumberland point found on the Trinity site. This point is made of Wyandotte chert and it measures 3 1/2 inches (8.9 cm) long, 1 1/8 inches (2.8 cm) wide and 1/4 inch (6.5 mm) thick.

    Most of the Cumberland points found on the Trinity site were found within a small area. There have been eleven Cumberland points found to date. They include, one intact undamaged point, seven points assembled from fragments that represent complete & almost complete points and three more points that are represented by fragments of bases & points.

Cumberland point from the Trinity cache.
 CUMBERLAND POINT
TRINITY SITE
LEWIS COUNTY, KENTUCKY

    This Cumberland point was assembled from several broken pieces that were found over a period of several years on the Trinity site. One edge has quite a lot of damage to one blade edge that is believed to be recent. This point is made of Wyandotte chert and measures 3 7/16 inches (8.7 cm) long, 1 1/16 inches (2.6 cm) wide and 5/16 inch (7 mm) thick.

    The eleven Cumberland points found on the Trinity site were made from at least three different varieties of chert. One example is made of Upper Mercer chert, three are made of Paoli (Carter Cave) chert and seven are made of Wyandotte chert. All the materials used are of the highest quality with little or no flaws.
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"REFERENCES"

1994, Funk, Robert E., Steadman, David W., Archaeological and Paleoenvironmental Investigations In The Dutchess Quarry Caves, Orange County, New York.
1999, Gramly, Richard Michael, "A Cumberland Point Site Near Trinity, Lewis County, Northern Kentucky," The Amateur Archaeologist, Vol. 6, No. 1, p. 63.
2005, Gramly, Richard Michael, "Additional Discoveries At The Trinity Cumberland Site: A Tribute To Dave McCall," The Amateur Archaeologist, Combined Vol. 11, No. 1 & Vol. 11 No. 2, p. 103.
Personal Communications with Richard Michael Gramly.

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