5. Front Yard Archeology: Hopewellian Occupation at the Szalay Site by Jeffrey J. Richner and William J. Volf

The Szalay site was recorded and evaluated by Midwest Archeological Center teams at Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area during fieldwork in support of ongoing historic structure restoration efforts in Everett Village, Summit County, Ohio. The site is in the front yard of the historic Szalay House at Lock 27 of the Ohio and Erie Canal near the confluence of the Cuyahoga River and Furnace Run. The site was discovered during a shovel test inventory of a proposed leachfield that would serve the nearby Szalay and Osborne Houses.

Shovel testing and limited test excavations in 1997 yielded a small but intriguing prehistoric assemblage that included 10 fragmentary bladelets and a few cord-marked sherds. No features were encountered in 1997, and the site did not appear to be highly significant. However, the rarity of bladelets in the park area suggested that more intensive test excavations should be conducted.

Work in 1998 revealed that the site contained many features, all of which appear to be Middle Woodland. Several fragmentary pottery vessels, a few broken notched projectile points, mica fragments, and bladelets were recovered within or in direct association with the site's Middle Woodland features. The 22 site features excavated in 1998 include a large roasting oven, 16 post molds, and 4 shallow basins partially filled with fire-cracked rock (FCR).

A small amount of mica was recovered from the fill above the roasting oven, which contained much FCR lining the flat-bottomed feature. Numerous pieces of charcoal sufficient to fill half a grocerysized bag occurred under the FCR. A thin, burned lens of clay marked the base of the feature.

The post molds average about 17 cm in diameter and extend from about 28 to 70 cm below surface. They are oriented vertically and are of highly regular form. Several contain pottery sherds occasionally oriented in flat "stacks." The great consistency of post mold size and position combined with the presence of sherds from individual vessels in multiple features strongly suggests that the features are contemporaneous with each other.

It appears that the posts formerly positioned in the features were removed; then fill was purposefully placed in the features - the fill often contained pottery sherds, FCR, flecks of mica, and small amounts of charcoal. Finally, the features were carefully covered with FCR or smooth, flat sandstone rocks. These rocks occur in distinct clusters and appear to seal the tops of the features.

A thin living surface containing a few pottery sherds and other artifacts was recorded amidst the cluster of post mold and basin features. Limited test excavations were conducted near the roasting oven, which is located about 17 m from the main cluster of features. In 1999 a fluxgate gradiometer inventory covering 120 m2 was conducted. A few anomalies were identified, and one was evaluated. Limited test excavation at the anomaly revealed a flat-bottomed pit filled with FCR, pottery sherds, numerous small, calcined animal bones, several pitted stones ( including a very large one with multiple pits), charcoal, and fragments of burned clay. Seeds and charred nut hulls are also present. A most unusual item is a fragmentary burned clay nest from a mud dauber or similar wasp species.

Middle Woodland artifacts recovered from the site to date include many pieces of FCR, about 50 bladelet fragments, a single complete bladelet, 3 fragmentary corner-notched projectile points, 3 pitted stones, 500 pieces of debitage, 450 sherds from a minimum of 9 individual vessels, a small quantity of mica, calcined bone, and charred floral and wood fragments.

Nearly all of the bladelets are made on lustrous, high-quality Flint Ridge flint. The ceramic vessels are all undecorated with cord-marked exteriors and flat to rounded lips. The faunal and macro-botanical elements will be analyzed later in 2000.

Assignment of the site's features and artifacts to the Middle Woodland period is supported by six radiocarbon dates, all taken from undisturbed features. These radiocarbon dates are listed in the table to the right..
Among the topics under study is the relationship of this site to a nearby Hopewellian ceremonial locus, the Everett Knoll (33 Su 14), which was discovered by workmen building a school in 1856 and later tested by staff from Case Western Reserve University (Brose 1974). Currently, park staff members are carefully reviewing all available options for leach field installation, and it is hoped that the outcome will be the preservation of the remaining portions of this small but very significant site.