Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
History Quarterly Digital Archives


Source: 1945 Volume 6 Number 2, Page 39


A local Indian camp site

J. Alden Mason

Compared with most other parts of the "Eastern Woodland region" the archeology of the Philadelphia area is extremely "poor". Local archeologists are surface hunters; decades of experience have shown them that little is secured by digging, differing from most other parts of the country. Professional archeologists have come to the same opinion, and now believe that there were no permanent Indian villages, or even temporary villages of any size, in this region. The only large permanent villages mentioned in early colonial records are several in places now covered by built-up portions of the city of Philadelphia. This is ascribed to the fear by the local Lenni Lenape of the raids of their enemies, the Andastes, Conestogas, Susquehannocks or Mingoes from the lower Susquehanna River. The Delawares ventured from their Philadelphia villages, protected by the two large rivers, to the surrounding country only on hunting trips, on which they made temporary camps overnight or for a few days. Familiar with the country, they knew the best sites for camps, like Boy Scouts today,and used the same sites on their occasional trips in various directions, for very short periods. These campsites are the places where boys and local archeologists find arrowheads, and occasionally a stone ax, or some other Indian object today. Arrowhead-hunting has always been a hobby of boys who generally know all the places in their district where they can be found.

One such camp-site probably existed on the old Latch farm on the northern side of Trout Run, close to the Old State Road where it crosses the Trenton Cutoff of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Our fellow member, W C. Latch, who grew up on this farm, remembers it as a site where he often found arrowheads. They were mainly of white quartz, and were found over a considerable area in the fields north of the stream, but especially near a large thin stone that stands on edge. It is not known how the building of the railroad changed the course of the brook here from its nature in aboriginal days, but apparently it was not greatly affected in this part. Apparently, however, ploughing of the field has caused a ridge of earth near the stream, and the original surface where most of the arrowheads were found, as well as white quartz chips, the refuse from their manufacture, has been covered over to a depth of possibly two feet. Mr. Latch recalls the upright stone as having stood much higher above ground in his youth than at present. Now it rises to a height of about two feet on the brook side, but is covered nearly to its top on the other side, a condition that could hardly have existed without human intervention. A little digging done by several members of the Club disclosed some quartz chips, but a great amount of digging would probably be necessary to uncover the original soil surface of primitive days.

 
 

Page last updated: 2012-03-30 at 14:24 EST
Copyright © 2006-2012 Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society. All rights reserved.
Permission is given to make copies for personal use only.
All other uses require written permission of the Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society.