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The Hardaway Site, designated by the
Smithsonian trinomial A Smithsonian trinomial (formally the Smithsonian Institution Trinomial System, abbreviated SITS) is a unique identifier assigned to archaeological sites in many states in the United States. They are composed of one or two digits coding for the sta ...
31ST4, is an
archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...
near
Badin, North Carolina Badin is a town located in Stanly County, North Carolina, United States. At the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 1,974. History The Badin Historic District, Doerschuk Site, Hardaway Site, Narrows Dam and Power Plant Complex, and ...
. A
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
, this multi-layered site has seen major periods of occupation as far back as 10,000 years. Materials from this site were and are used to assist in dating materials from other sites in the eastern United States. The site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1990.


Description

The Hardaway Site is located on a rocky ridge overlooking Badin Lake, occupying two knolls and the intervening saddle at the ridge's northern end. The site is stratified into four layers of cultural material, found above an otherwise sterile layer of clay. Each of these layers contains extensive evidence of human habitation and use, including stone-lined hearths, and large volumes of stone tool creation byproducts (
debitage In archaeology, debitage is all the material produced during the process of lithic reduction – the production of stone tools and weapons by knapping stone. This assemblage may include the different kinds of lithic flakes and lithic blades, bu ...
). The uppermost layer of material has been disturbed by historic activities, including occupation by Native Americans in the colonial period, and plowing for agriculture. The site was identified by an amateur archaeologist in 1937, and underwent its first professional excavation in 1948, under the auspices of the
University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
(UNC), by arrangement with the landowner, a predecessor to Alcoa, the present owner of the site. Between then and 1958 it was systematically investigated, but early work was frustrated by difficult topography and geology. An analysis of finds published in 1964 was able to lay a groundwork of typology and chronology of features and materials that continues to be of importance to archaeologists working in the region. By the end of 1980, more than seven metric tons of cultural material had been recovered from the site. While the archaeologists were allowed to study the artifacts found, Alcoa retained ownership of all of the artifacts. In 2005 Alcoa donated the more than 1.3 million artifacts to UNC.


See also

*
List of National Historic Landmarks in North Carolina This is a List of National Historic Landmarks in North Carolina. North Carolina has 39 National Historic Landmarks: See also * National Register of Historic Places listings in North Carolina * List of N ...
* National Register of Historic Places in Stanly County, North Carolina


References


External links


Description of some of the artifacts found at the Hardaway site''Mammoth Trumpet'' article about the Hardaway Site
{{Pre-Columbian North America Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina National Historic Landmarks in North Carolina Geography of Stanly County, North Carolina Alcoa National Register of Historic Places in Stanly County, North Carolina