PAGE 2 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
THE TRINITY SITE CUMBERLAND CACHE
TRINITY SITE
PALEO INDIAN CULTURE
LEWIS COUNTY, KENTUCKY
EARLY PALEO
PAGE 1 OF 2 PAGES
COPYRIGHT JULY 31, 2006 PETER A. BOSTROM
Trinity site excavation in progress.
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF THE "AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AMATEUR ARCHAEOLOGY"
FROM THE AMATEUR ARCHAEOLOGIST, 1999----PHOTO BY RICHARD MICHAEL GRAMLY, PhD.
TRINITY SITE EXCAVATION IN PROGRESS
LEWIS COUNTY, KENTUCKY

   This picture shows the Trinity site excavation in progress. The view is looking upward to the edge of the second terrace from the Ohio River flats below. This picture was taken on March 20, 1999 and shows the excavation of the first test pit excavated on site by Richard Michael Gramly, PhD. Dennis Vesper and David McCall are standing in the picture.

    The Trinity cache points range in size from 3 7/16 inches (8.7 cm) to 4 3/8 inches (11.2 cm) long. Maximum widths range from 1 inch (2.5 cm) to 1 5/16 inches (3.4 cm) wide. Channel flake lengths range from 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) to 1 3/4 inches (4.5 cm) long.

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

    This Cumberland point was assembled from three broken pieces. The missing triangular fragment was also later discovered and refitted to the point. This Cumberland point is made of Paoli (Carter Cave) chert and measures 3 13/16 inches (9.7 cm) long and 1 1/8 inches (2.8 cm) wide.

    The Trinity site Cumberland point cache is the only known cache of Cumberland points found to date. The only comparable cache was found in Ontario, Canada on the Thedford II site. The Thedford II site produced a cache of  Barnes points. Barnes points are close enough in style and manufacture that they are sometimes referred to as Cumberland/Barnes points. Both the Trinity cache and the Thedford II cache were found in heavily disturbed ground, resulting from heavy machinery operations and farming activities.

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

   This is the largest Cumberland point found in the Trinity site cache. It measures 4 3/8 inches (11.1 cm) long, 1 3/16 inches (3 cm) wide and 5/16 inch (8 mm) thick.

    "No archaeological feature containing Cumberland points has ever been absolutely dated" (Gramly, 1999). The closest that archaeologists have come to dating Cumberland points comes from excavations at Dutchess Quarry Caves 1 and 8 in New York's Hudson River region. This site produced twelve dates, one from a conventional C-14 date and eleven from accelerator mass spectrometry dates on purified collagen from the bones of caribou, flat-headed peccary and giant beaver. All twelve dates range between 11,000 & 13,000 years before present.

Tip of Cumberland point from Trinity site cache.
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF THE "AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AMATEUR ARCHAEOLOGY"
FROM THE AMATEUR ARCHAEOLOGIST, 1999----DRAWING BY VAL WALDORF.
 CUMBERLAND POINT TIP
TRINITY SITE
LEWIS COUNTY, KENTUCKY

    The illustration above was drawn from a fragment of a Cumberland point from the Trinity cache. It is unique for what appears to be a drill tip. "This specimen may be unique for this phase of the Fluted point tradition" (Gramly, 1999).

    The Trinity site Cumberland point cache is indeed a rare find. This cache will contribute more knowledge about a point type and culture that is not well represented in the archaeological record. Only lately, with the excavation of the Phil Stratton site, and the Dutchess Quarry Caves, is some light is being shed on the Cumberland mystery.
   Almost as impressive as the Cache itself is the hard work it took to retrieve the many point fragments over many years of surface collecting and excavation. Unfortunately, Dave McCall past away in 2005. The knowledge gained from his efforts will live on.

"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.

RECENT LISTINGS HOME    ORDERING