The Archaeological
Conservancy
2014 Annual Report
1717 Girard Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
Board of Directors
Regional Offices and Directors
Gordon Wilson, New Mexico, Chairman
Cecil F. Antone, Arizona
Carol Condie, New Mexico
Janet Creighton, Washington
Jerry Golden, Colorado, Treasurer
W. James Judge, Colorado
Jay T. Last, California
William Lipe, Idaho
Leslie Masson, Massachusetts
Mark Michel, New Mexico, (ex officio)
Dorinda Oliver, New York
Rosamond Stanton, Montana
Jim Walker, Southwest Regional Director
1717 Girard Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
(505) 266-1540
Paul Gardner, Midwest Regional Director
3620 North High Street, Suite 307
Columbus, OH 43214
(614) 267-1100
Andy Stout, Eastern Regional Director
8 East 2nd Street, Suite 101
Frederick, MD 21701
(301) 682-6359
Officers
Jessica Crawford, Southeast Regional Director
315 Locust Street
P.O. Box 270
Marks, MS 38646
(662) 326-6465
Mark Michel, President
James B. Walker, Senior Vice-President and Secretary
Paul Gardner, Vice-President
Tione Joseph, Chief Financial Officer
Conservancy Staff
Cory Wilkins, Western Regional Director
620 3rd Street, Suite 300
Lincoln, CA 95648
(530) 592-9797
Mark Michel, President and CEO
Tione Joseph, Business Manager
Lorna Wolf, Membership Director
Sarah Shuler, Special Projects Director
American Archaeology Magazine
Michael Bawaya, Editor
Tamara Stewart, Assistant Editor
Vicki Marie Singer, Art Director
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1717 Girard Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
December 31, 2014
Letter from the President
Since 1980, The Archaeological Conservancy has acquired more than 485 endangered archaeological sites across the
country. 2014 was a great year for the Conservancy, as we continued our mission to preserve significant sites across the
United States.
This year, the Conservancy continued our commitment to educating the public about the importance of archaeological
sites. The preserves we protect are available to the public for guided tours, to descendants of the American Indians who
once inhabited the sites, and to archaeologists and other qualified researchers for study. In addition to this, we host
lectures around the country for our members and the general public.
Major funding for the Conservancy comes from our members, as well as from corporations, foundations, and special
individual contributions. Income from our permanent Endowment Fund supplements regular fundraising. Often we
raise money locally to purchase sites in a particular community. In emergency situations, we borrow from our revolving
Preservation Fund.
The Conservancy’s quarterly magazine, American Archaeology, is the only popular magazine devoted to presenting the rich
diversity of archaeology in the Americas. The magazine helps readers appreciate and understand the archaeological
wonders available to them, and to raise awareness of the destruction of our cultural heritage. The ancient people of
North America left virtually no written records of their cultures. Clues that might someday solve the mysteries of
prehistoric America are still missing, and when a ruin is destroyed by looters, or leveled for a shopping center, precious
information is lost. By permanently preserving endangered ruins, we are ensuring they will be here for future generations
to study and enjoy.
We look forward to making 2015 our best yet.
Sincerely,
Mark Michel
President
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2014 ACQUISITIONS
Since its beginning in 1980, the Conservancy has acquired more than 485 endangered sites in 44 states across
America. These preserves range in size from less than an acre to more than 1,500 acres. They include the earliest
habitation sites in North America, a 19th-century frontier army post, and nearly every major cultural period in
between. In 2014, the Conservancy rescued the following endangered sites:
Junction Group (Ohio)
On March 18, 2014 the Conservancy attended a public
auction in Chillicothe, OH and acquired the Junction Group
earthworks site. After having learned that the land would be
available for sale just 20 days prior to the auction, the
Conservancy joined forces with several conservation
organizations in the area in an attempt to preserve not just
the site itself, but the
surrounding woodlands
as well. The portion of
the farmland we acquired
is a 90 acre field
encompassing the
earthworks.
The earthwork
complex is approximately
2,000 years old and has
been the subject of intermittent archaeological research since
1848. Our involvement with the site started in 1980 when
the preservation of Hopewell Culture ceremonial centers
became a central focus of our activities east of the
Mississippi. The site has been in the hands of private
owners, and this public auction was the first opportunity for
the site to be transferred to an organization with a plan for
long term preservation.
in this region as the Post Puebloan period, which ended
when the first Euro-Americans arrived in Kanab in 1776.
Over the course of three years, the archaeological teams
excavated more than 60 major pithouse and storage features
and hundreds of small hearths, refuse deposits, and pits.
Potter Mound (Arkansas)
Potter Mound is located on the Little River in the
northeast portion of the state. This area is dense with
mound sites, most of which date to the Parkin Phase
(approximately A.D. 1350 to 1560) of the Mississippian
period. This phase takes its name from Parkin, the largest
site of this type and an Arkansas State Archaeological Park
that the Conservancy played a major role in preserving.
Parkin is believed to have been the capital of the
province of Casqui,
which was described by
Hernando de Soto when
he explored the area in
the mid-16th century.
The people of the Parkin
Phase practiced largescale corn agriculture
and lived in villages consisting of two or three mounds that
were located on rivers. The rivers provided defense on one
side of their settlements, and they built palisades with moats
for protection on the other three sides. Security was a major
concern because tensions among competing groups resulted
in endemic warfare.
Potter Mound is named for the family that used to have a
house on it. The entire site is about eight acres and aerial
photographs show dark depressions in the soil around the
site where the palisade and moat may have been located. In
1974, when the Potter house was on the mound, the area
between the two mounds was farmed, and deep plowing
exposed at least 30 prehistoric burials. The burials are no
longer being disturbed and the house has since been
removed. Pieces of metal, brick and an occasional marble
are the only traces of the house that remain, and they are
mixed with much older sherds of Mississippian pottery, with
their characteristic shell tempering.
Jackson Flat (Utah)
Jackson Flat Reservoir was constructed to store irrigation
water for Kane County Water Conservancy users. Before the
reservoir was built, archaeologists from HRA Inc. and other
organizations excavated 10 prehistoric sites in the
construction area, some of which were occupied by a group
of the Anasazi called the Virgin Branch. The portions of the
sites that were under the dam footprint and below the water
line were completely excavated.
The Archaeological
Conservancy worked
with the Kane County
Water Conservancy, the
Army Corps of
Engineers, the State of
Utah School and
Institutional Trust Lands
Administration, and the
Kaibab Band of Paiutes
to protect two of the sites located above the reservoir’s
water line. These sites will become permanent archaeological
preserves owned by The Archaeological Conservancy.
The Conservancy’s sites have not been investigated, but
it’s assumed that in some way they resemble the excavated
sites. These were camps and villages that dated from the
Archaic period about 6,000 years ago through what’s known
Koon’s Landing (North Carolina)
For decades the exact location of Catechna, an 18thcentury Tuscarora settlement, eluded historians and scholars
who relied on historical documents to find the site.
Conflicting information and differing interpretations of
historical maps had led them to conclude the site could be in
entirely different locations.
In the mid 1990s John E. Byrd and Charles L. Heath of
East Carolina University conducted a survey of the
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Tuscarora homeland in the Contentnea Creek drainage of
North Carolina’s Inner Coastal Plain. As part of this project
they excavated a site called Koon’s Landing, which yielded a
variety of cultural material including a Guilford projectile
point and other lithic items, fire-cracked rock, and charcoal.
Byrd and Heath also found Cashie-phase pottery sherds.
Archaeologists define the Cashie phase as the Tuscaroran
occupation of the Inner Coastal Plain of North Carolina
during the Late Woodland and Contact periods. These
discoveries led them to surmise Koon’s Landing could be
part of Catechna.
now be preserved so that one day the Sally Warren Mounds
can reveal their secrets.
Wells Petroglyphs Addition (New Mexico)
The addition is a 25-acre tract adjacent to the Wells
Petroglyph Preserve. The preserve was established in 2000
when artist Katherine Wells donated 148 acres of her
property situated on the escarpment of Mesa Prieta, a 12
mile long basalt formation north of Española located
between the Chama and Rio Grande rivers. The slopes of
the mesa contain basalt boulders covered with tens of
thousands of petroglyphs. The glyphs have been stylistically
dated to the Archaic, Pueblo and Historic periods, probably
spanning a period of time from 5500 B.C. to the present.
Images range from circles, spirals, stars, geometric patterns,
human and animal prints, to dancers, shamans, hunters, and
flute players. The preserve contains over 9,000 recorded
images. The 25-acre addition has been partially surveyed and
no-doubt contains hundreds if not thousands of additional
images.
Bird Hammock (Florida)
The Conservancy recently acquired the first of three
tracts of an important site near the city of Tallahassee, in
northwest Florida. The Bird Hammock site is a multicomponent site consisting of two
burial mounds and two circular
or ring-shaped middens
consisting primarily of plant and
animal food refuse. The site’s
primary occupations were the
peoples of the Swift Creek and
Weeden Island cultures. These
cultures inhabited parts of
Florida, Alabama, and Georgia,
and they are known for their elaborate ceremonial
complexes, mound burials, permanent settlements, extensive
trade networks, and sociopolitical complexity.
Queen Esther’s Town (Pennsylvania)
This 92-acre site contains the heart of Queen Esther’s
Town, a very significant sprawling series of contact period
villages. Queen Esther is thought to have been of French
and Native American ancestry. She married a Delaware
Indian chief, and became a leader of the tribe. In the mid to
late 1700s, she was the leader of Queen Esther’s town,
which consisted of about 70 houses and herds of cattle. The
town was destroyed on September 27, 1778 as part of
General John Sullivan’s campaign against the Iroquois
Confederacy.
While Queen Esther’s site alone makes this site worth
acquiring, the preserve contains five recorded archaeological
sites and, given its location at the confluence of the
Susquehanna and Chemung Rivers, probably many more.
Ceramic sherds provide evidence of extensive occupations
of Owasco cultures between A.D. 900-1300. And even
earlier occupations are indicated by temporally diagnostic
projectile points dating to the Transitional (1200-1800 B.C.)
and Archaic (1800-8000 B.C.) periods. This is the
Conservancy’s largest preserve in the eastern region.
Sally Warren Mounds (Louisiana)
According to Louisiana state site files, the Sally Warren
Mounds consist of “a large rectangular shaped mound”
known as Mound A, and a “conical shaped burial mound”
known as Mound B. Their presumed function was listed as
“burial mounds and possibly small village.” The site is
located on a natural levee next to Cocodrie Lake.
The site, named for a previous landowner, was last
visited by an archaeologist in 1982, when it was discovered
that both mounds had been disturbed, and a complete
human skeleton had been uncovered in Mound B. The
landowner was so rattled by the incident that he denied the
archaeologist access to the site shortly after he arrived. After
this incident, the owner vigilantly protected the site, and
the illicit digging stopped. As there was no time to do any
drawings or collect artifacts, the site file simply noted that
prehistoric material was observed, and there was a large area
of dark soil near one of the mounds with an extensive
quantity of ceramics and lithics. “This site should definitely
be tested before looters destroy it completely,” the
archaeologist wrote. Unfortunately, little more is known
about the Sally Warren Mounds.
Monterey Holdings decided to donate Mound B to the
Conservancy. And at the behest of the company’s owners,
Al Ater, a local landowner whose holdings included Mound
A, agreed to donate it to the Conservancy as well. The two
mounds that disappeared and were then rediscovered, will
Dresden Falls (Maine)
The Dresden preserve, located along Maine’s scenic
Kennebec River, contains archaeological remains that date
to the Early through Middle Archaic Periods, approximately
10,000 to 5,000 years ago. Dresden is the largest site of this
time period in Maine, and one of the largest in northern
New England. The site was originally discovered by Richard
Doyle, an avocational archaeologist. It was subsequently
excavated by Arthur Spiess, Maine’s state archaeologist, who
uncovered intact hearth and pit features as well as numerous
projectile points, stone knives, and fish bones.
The Conservancy obtained an additional 4.3 acres,
expanding the size of the preserve to 31 acres. This
expansion was facilitated by Ed Friedman, the chairman of
Friends of Merrymeeting Bay Land Trust, which transferred
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the additional property to the Conservancy. The parcel
contains a substantial length of undeveloped shoreline that is
home to numerous species of waterfowl and rare plants. The
expansion will help guarantee that such natural habitats, as
well as additional areas containing cultural resources, are
permanently protected.
archaeologist Tony DeRegnaucourt and others found them
in 2002.
Garoga (New York)
The Garoga site is perched on a hilltop overlooking
Caroga Creek, a meandering tributary of the Mohawk River.
Also referred to as Garogo, or Castle Hill, it contains the
remains of a 16th-century Mohawk village. This site has
yielded important information about Mohawk
demographics, village layout, and early trade with
Europeans.
The site was first excavated in the late 19th century by
Samuel Frey, who discovered and named it. In 1905, not
long after Garoga’s discovery, M.C. Harrington did
additional testing that focused on pit features. Subsequently
David Dorn, then president of the now defunct
Leatherstocking Chapter of the New York State
Archaeological Association, excavated the site for a few
days. From the time Frey conducted his investigations
through the early 20th century, Garoga also attracted looters.
William Ritchie and Robert Funk of the New York State
Museum directed extensive excavations of Garoga in
the1960s. They identified a minimum of nine longhouses
within the main village area and they also confirmed the
location of a short double palisade that runs across the
entrance to the village site. In addition to uncovering house
patterns and the palisade, the archaeologists found two
burials, numerous hearths, and close to 100 pit features.
Fort Greenville (Ohio)
General Anthony Wayne was an important figure during
the early formation of the American military. He led troops
against the British during the American Revolution and was
appointed commander-in-chief of the United States Army
by President George Washington. During the 1790s he
established a number of military forts along the
Northwestern frontier of the United States as westward
expansion continued. One of those forts, built in 1793 in
what would soon become western Ohio, was Fort
Greenville.
At the time of its construction Fort Greenville was the
largest wooden fort in North America, covering over 50
acres. General Wayne ordered that eight blockhouses be
built about 250 yards away from the main fort to provide an
initial line of defense. Two years later, Fort Greenville would
be immortalized by the signing of the Treaty of Greenville
on August 3, 1795, which ended the Northwest Indian War
and laid the groundwork for Ohio to become a state in
1803.
The fort was abandoned in 1796 and most of its ruins
were destroyed as the town of Greenville sprang up on the
site. The remains of Blockhouse 8, located across Mud
Creek from the main fort, were preserved in a field for more
than 200 years and largely forgotten until amateur
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2014 TOURS
For more than 20 years, the Conservancy has conducted tours ranging in length from four days to two weeks. Expert
guides always accompany our tours, providing unique insights about the places we visit. Tour regions include the
American Midwest, Southeast, Southwest, and East, as well as Mexico and Central and South America.
journey down the Yampa and Green Rivers we visited
remote archaeological sites, including Fremont culture
rock art panels and prehistoric rock shelters
Maya of Yucatán and Calakmul
January 9-19, 2014
From A.D. 300 to 900, a brilliant culture flourished in
the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico – the Classic Maya. We
visited some of their most
splendid sites, including
Dzibilchaltún, Balankanche
Cave, Mayapán, and Chichén
Itzá.
We also dove deep into the
forest to visit Calakmul, which
has been undergoing significant excavations in recent
years. Calakmul is believed to be the largest of all the Maya
cities. More than 100 stelae and 6,500 structures have been
discovered so far. During the Late Classic period it
dominated the entire southern Yucatán. John Henderson,
one of the nation’s leading scholars of the Maya,
accompanied us on the trip.
Peru
June 20-July 5, 2014
Machu Picchu remained a secret to the outside world
until 1911, when archaeologist Hiram Bingham discovered
it almost by accident. Perched on a ridge more than 2,000
feet about the Urubamba River, this ancient city is among
the most spectacular sites in all of the Americas. And
Machu Picchu is just one of the many highlights from the
Conservancy’s two-week Peruvian tour. From the coastal
city of Lima to the magnificent tombs of Moche at Sipán,
we explored some of Peru’s most fascinating sites.
Accompanied by John Henderson, an expert in the
region’s archaeology, we learned about the vast empires
that once reigned in the land. The adventure began with
visits to several archaeological museums in Lima, where we
learned about the country’s past cultures. Next we
explored the pyramids at Sipán and Túcume, and then
toured the remains of one of the largest pre-Columbian
cities in the New World at Chan Chan. Several days in the
Inca capital of Cuzco gave us ample time to explore sites
such as Coricancha, an Inca temple where the walls were
once covered in gold.
Best of the Southwest
September 27-October 7, 2014
The American Southwest is home to some of the bestpreserved evidence of prehistoric civilizations in the New
World. The
magnificent ruins of
Chaco Canyon and
Mesa Verde are but
two vivid reminders of
the complex cultures
that dominated the
region between the 10th
and 14th centuries. The
Conservancy’s Best of
the Southwest tour included these two settlements as well
as other prehistoric sites and modern pueblos where
ancient traditions persist.
Guatemala Highlands and Copán
February 13-23, 2014
Rain forests, snow-capped volcanoes, and magnificent
lakes make up the landscape of the ancient Maya in the
highlands of Guatemala. On our tour we experienced a
complete spectrum of history from ancient Maya ruins to
modern-day Maya cities. Our travels took up from
Guatemala’s beautiful Lake Atitlán to the Honduran
rainforest where we visited Copán, considered the crown
jewel of the southern Maya cities. John Henderson from
Cornell University accompanied us on the tour.
Aztecs, Toltecs and Teotihuacános
March 29-April 7, 2014
Two thousand years ago, cultures that have long since
vanished from Central Mexico constructed magnificent
temples and pyramids. Today, these monuments of the
Aztecs, Toltecs, and Teotihuacános remain a testament to
the fascinating people who built them.
This tour took us to a number of sites, including those
previously inhabited by the Olmec, a culture once known
throughout the region for its art style. We also visited the
monuments of the Aztec, a civilization that witnessed the
arrival of the Spanish. We explored Teotihuacán, once a
great urban center with a population of 200,000. Cornell
archaeologist John Henderson accompanied us on the
tour.
Peoples of the Mississippi Valley
October 11-18, 2014
Beginning in Memphis and following the Mississippi
River south to Natchez, our week-long journey covered
more than 5,000 years of history. The trip offered an
exciting opportunity to learn more about the rich and
Yampa River
June 1-8, 2014
We went on a downriver adventure in Colorado and
Utah, where we floated through Dinosaur National
Monument and experienced incredible scenery first
described by explorer John Wesley Powell. On our 70-mile
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complex mound-builder cultures that flourished along the
Mississippi River Valley until the arrival of the Europeans.
While taking in the
charms of the Old South,
we visited many important
sites, including Emerald
Mound, the third largest
Mississippian mound in the
United States. We also
visited sites from historic
times, including the Grand
Village of the Natchez and the Civil War battlefield at
Vicksburg. Several of the Conservancy’s preserves, such as
Watson Brake Mounds, which may be the oldest mound
site in North America, were featured on the tour.
Oaxaca
October 24-November 3, 2014
We visited Oaxaca, Mexico, during one of the most
unusual festivals anywhere – the Day of the Dead. On this
day, people prepare home alters and cemeteries to
welcome the dead, who are believed to return to enjoy the
food and drink they indulged in during life. Rather than a
morbid occasion, this is a celebratory event.
Our tour explored the Mixtecan and Zapotecan
archaeological sites in the region, Mitla, Monte Albán, San
José Mogote, and Dainzú. We had the opportunity to
explore Oaxaca’s museums and markets as well as several
crafts villages featuring weaving, pottery, carved animals,
and other local art.
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2014 RESEARCH
All Conservancy preserves are open for research by qualified scholars. Here are some of the research projects that
took place on Conservancy preserves in 2014.
Fort Tombecbe (Alabama) – The University of West Alabama held a field school at Fort Tombecbe and investigated the
palisade from the original 1730’s French occupation.
Carter Ranch (Arizona) – This 39 room pueblo was partially excavated in the 1960’s by renowned southwestern archaeologist,
Dr. Paul Martin, using a new theoretical approach to archaeological analysis termed “processual”, a technique to better understand
social organization within a site using artifact analysis. Beginning in the fall of 2014, a graduate student from Northern Arizona
University has Conservancy permission to conduct a mapping project to better understand the exposed architecture of the pueblo.
His project also includes zero collection surface analysis of the artifacts on the ground at the pueblo.
Fast Preserve (California) – Lowell Thomas, a graduate student at California State University, Chico and archaeologist for
Lassen National Forest, has designed and initiated a survey protocol for the Fast Preserve that entailed a comprehensive
reconnaissance of the property and a detailed recording of the present cultural material. Thomas is still working on recording
all the cultural features and elements encountered during the survey.
Croft Preserve (Idaho) – In May of 2014, employees of the Idaho Museum of Natural History captured data at the Croft
Preserve (Owl Cave) that documented the current state of the preserve. This data can be used in the future to evaluate and
monitor site erosion as well as to produce imagery for use in exhibits and other educational products. Two different methods
of data capture were conducted; standard 2D photography and 3D laser scanning. In addition, a sample of owl pellets was
collected. Carbon and nitrogen analyses will be conducted on the sample as part of a larger project on reconstructing the
paleo-environment of the preserve.
Hewitt-Omstead (Iowa) – The University of Iowa’s Office of the State Archaeologist and the Fort Atkinson Historic
Preservation Commission archaeologically investigated Hewitt-Omstead Trading Post in November of 2014. The research
confirmed the presence of a raised garden–bed. Artifact analysis is underway.
Bogie Circle (Kentucky) – Surface reconnaissance of preserve was conducted prior to magnetometer survey and limited
testing by Edward Henry, PhD candidate at the Department of Anthropology at Washington University.
Barton Mound (Maryland) – Dr. Bob Wall continued working at the Barton site by testing to locate paleo deposits and soils.
Carson Mounds (Mississippi) – The Mississippi Department of Archives and History salvaged human remains at the
Carson site in 2014. The University of Mississippi and Tulane University studied the stratigraphy of Mounds D and B.
Cary Mound (Mississippi) – Dr. Ed Jackson of the University of Southern Mississippi conducted mapping and testing at the
Cary Mound in conjunction with the Mississippi Trails project. This was to determine a precise date for the mound so accurate
information can be included on the Mississippi Mounds Trail Marker sign at the site.
San Marcos Pueblo (New Mexico) - Students and faculty with the Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience (SAGE)
group continued their geophysical investigations using ground penetrating radar, seismic refraction, magnetometry, and
electromagnetic techniques.
Junction Group Preserve (Ohio) – Dr. Jarrod Burks of Ohio Valley Archaeological Consultants is currently conducting a
magnetometer survey of the 90-acre preserve.
Squirrel Hill (Pennsylvania) – Results of research conducted by Lydia DeHaven in 2013 were published as “A Geophysical
Investigation and Cultural Reevaluation of the Monongahela Squirrel Hill Site.”
Gault Site (Texas) – Since 1998, a major excavation has been underway at Gault, led by Dr. Michael Collins and his team of
researchers from the Gault School of Archaeological Research. Since 2008, tours and talks about the site have been presented
to over 28,000 people. The researchers are finished with major excavation for the foreseeable future. They are continuing to
do some tests and samplings and will primarily be working in the lab towards a preliminary publication of some of their
findings in 2016.
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2014 LECTURES
As part of the Conservancy’s public outreach program, we sponsor lectures around the country. This is an excellent
opportunity to reach out to our members.
March – May 2014 – Ancient Sites and Ancient Stories 2014
Working with Southwest Seminars, this popular Santa Fe lecture series was held every Monday for three months and featured
nine prominent archaeologists and scholars.
September 2014 – “In Search of Coronado and de Soto” Lecture Series
Our two-part series discussed the archaeology of Coronado and de Soto and included: Dr. Mathew Schmader, City
Archaeologist and Superintendent of the City of Albuquerque Open Space Division; and Dr. Jeffrey M. Mitchem, Station
Archaeologist at the Arkansas Archaeological Survey’s Parkin Research Station.
AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY MAGAZINE
The Conservancy’s 23,000 members received our quarterly magazine American Archaeology. Launched in 1997,
American Archaeology is the only magazine devoted exclusively to the rich diversity of archaeology in the Americas.
By sharing new discoveries, national news, events, and Conservancy successes, the magazine makes learning about
ancient America as exciting as it is essential. It can be found in bookstores like Barnes and Noble across the United
States. The Conservancy also distributes the magazine at archaeology meetings and other events.
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