This summer was highly productive at the Blueberry site with research focusing on the excavation and interpretation of features in Test Units four and five along with the continuation of lab processing.  Over the summer, volunteer participants at the site included an energetic group of students from the Walker Academy in Avon Park (who spent a week at the site under the direction of their esteemed teacher Gordon Davis) as well as college-level students from Rollins College, the University of South Florida, and the University of Florida.  Some of the most noteworthy artifacts recovered during the week the Walker Academy students were at the site were split bone tools fashioned out of deer longbones.  Figure one illustrates two split bone tools and one alligator tooth recovered during their visit.  Figure two is a plan-view photo of one of the three hearth features removed this summer (Feature 53 for TU4).     

     As was mentioned in the May newsletter, a sub-sample of the lithic assemblage was outsourced to Dr. Robert Austin for lithic sourcing as well as detailed functional and typological analysis.  For the first time in the history of research at the site, it is possible to make definitive connections between sources of lithic material (i.e. chert outcrops) and lithic tools such as diagnostic bifaces and utilized flakes.  It is now clear that the Belle Glade inhabitants of the Blueberry site were utilizing stone tools manufactured from material recovered from at least four locations.  These sources of stone are located to the west, northwest, and north-northwest of the site with the most distant source being well over 100 miles away to the north-northwest.  The four chert sources associated with the lithic sample analyzed by Dr. Austin are from 1) the Peace River Formation 2) the Arcadia Formation: Cow House Creek 3) Tampa Limestone chert from the Hillsborough River Quarry Cluster  and 4) Upper Withlacoochee River Quarry Cluster (Austin 2008).  These results clearly demonstrate that the Belle Glade inhabitants of the Blueberry site were participants in a trade network linking them with cultural groups from southwest and west-central Florida.  These findings related to the lithic assemblage are consistent with other cultural material recovered thus far from the site such as shark teeth and shell from the west coast of Florida and sand tempered plain pottery from north of the site in central Florida.  

     Currently, we are anticipating the results of ongoing botanical and faunal analysis of two hearths from the Belle Glade component of the site.  Likewise, the results of the post-mold tree species identification analysis are forthcoming.  We look forward to another productive year of research at the site and are looking forward to a visit from the Little Salt Springs archaeological group in December.           

References Cited 

Austin, Robert

   2008  Analysis of Chipped Stone Artifacts from the Blueberry Site, 8HG678.  Unpublished Technical Report prepared for the Kissimmee Valley Archaeological and Historical Conservancy.