THE HARDIN COUNTY CUMBERLAND |
Ellis Whitt |
| It was a sunny autumn day on September 1, 1935, when R. H. Wright made his way out to the hog lot, just as he had
done on so many other occasions. He was serious about his farming and paid special attention to make sure his hogs
were well fed and healthy. It was on this morning, while feeding the hogs he noticed an arrowhead...or spearhead...or
something like that, lying in the mud inside the hog lot. He had found other artifacts on his farm, and some were
quite nice, but never before had he seen one just like this. It was long and not very wide and somewhat shaped
like a fish. It was not until several years later that he was to learn he had found an extraordinary 10,000 year
old Paleo point. The tip had been broken, apparently for quite some time because the broken portion shows no signs
of color change (patina) characteristic of a recent break. Perhaps it occurred during the kill of a prehistoric
mastodon or mammoth. In addition to the tip there is a tiny nick on the blade about an inch from the tip. This
nick apparently occurred more recently, as evidenced by the fact that it is possible to observe with a magnifying
glass the somewhat darker innerstone (which has not undergone the effects of patination visibly present on the
surface). It would be fascinating indeed to be able to look into the past and learn something of the character
and lifestyle of its original owner, who probably treasured this point as the lethal tip of his most prized spear. The Hardin County Cumberland is made of mostly gray Fort Payne chert. It is 5 3/4 inches long (one of the longest Cumberlands ever found), even with approximately 1/2 inch of the tip missing. It is 1 1/16 inches wide at its widest point near the midsection. The base has the typical Cumberland "bowl" shape with extended, well-defined ears. A single flute extends a distance of4 3/4 inches from the base on one side; the other side is unfluted, perhaps because its maker decided it was prudent not to risk a hinge fracture or destroying the point completely for the sake of having a flute on both sides. The blade edges show typical high quality retouching, characteristic of many fluted points. |
The Wright farm, where the Cumberland was found, is situated on flat to gently rolling terrain about a mile from the Tennessee River in Hardin County, near Savannah, Tennessee. In addition to Paleo artifacts, Mr. Wright and his family have found Archaic and Woodland points in the vicinity, one of which is an extraordinary Benton that is 6 3/4 inches long. The Hardin County Cumberland was kept in the Wright family collection for some 58 years, until 1993. The point was aquired from R.L.Wright's grandson by DavidSmith of Savannah, Tennessee.
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© 1990 C.S.A.S.I. Last modified:
January 31 2004