**Hopewell Archeology:**

**The Newsletter of Hopewell Archeology in the Ohio River Valley**

**Volume 4, Number 1, June 2000**

**1. The Converse Mounds: New Research on Michigan\'s Greatest Hopewell
Site**\
**By John R. Halsey State Archaeologist Michigan Historical Center
Lansing**

The Converse Mounds (20 Kt 2) lay on the west side of the Grand River in
the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan. From the late 1850s to the the
mid-1880s, the area containing the mounds was platted and developed. The
mounds ironically bear the name of the most important early developer of
this area, James W. "Deacon" Converse. During these "improvements" the
mounds were leveled by construction crews, the fill was pushed into low
areas, and the mounds disappeared.

Although local antiquarians undertook limited excavations in many of the
mounds, no full reports survive, only partial accounts with little in
the way of illustrations (e.g., Coffinberry 1962a, 1962b, 1964a, 1964b;
Coffinberry and Strong 1876). Nevertheless, people were watching, and
artifacts were recovered from both prehistoric burial pits and intrusive
historic graves (Baxter 1891:15-18; Belknap 1922:41-45).

The most spectacular discovery was a Hopewellian burial pit trenched
through by a water line on May 30, 1885. This find yielded large nuggets
of copper and silver, copper panpipe jackets, copper celts, drilled
effigy and true bear canines, platform pipes, and an effigy beetle done
in antler. This discovery and the subsequent placement of the artifacts
in Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History and Harvard's Peabody
Museum preserved the raw material for subsequent analyses (Fitting 1971;
Halsey 1990; Harms and Halsey 1988; and Quimby 1941a, 1941b, 1943,
1944).

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  **The illustrations accompanying this article were scanned from
  photocopied reproductions of original artifact drawings, handwritten
  notes, and sketches. For legibility purposes, we have taken the liberty
  of transcribing the original handwritten notes. Care has been taken to
  maintain the approximate placement and size of the text relative to
  each drawing or sketch; however, some words could not be interpreted,
  and some gaps and uncertainties remain. Images are not represented at a
  1:1 scale.**

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Following the 1885 find, there is no record of additional discoveries.
The number of mounds and the exact locations of most were forgotten. The
Converse Mounds became a sad archeological footnote. Our best
Hopewellian site was reduced to a handful of artifacts scattered among
museums. Other artifacts had vanished into private collections or even
the jeweler's crucible. The 1941 "Goodall Focus" summary by George
Quimby, himself a Grand Rapids native, seemed the closest thing to a
"final" report there would ever be.

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Grand Rapids grew to be one of Michigan's largest and most important
cities. The west bank of the Grand was built up, and buildings were torn
down and new ones built. Ultimately, like so many American cities, Grand
Rapids was divided up by high-speed, limited-access highways. One of
these crossed directly over the area once occupied by the Converse
Mounds. However, by 1998 it was apparent that the section of US 131 in
this area was not up to contemporary design standards and required
reconstruction.

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Because of the possible continued survival of subsurface burial pits and
the significance of the site, it was the joint decision of the Michigan
Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Michigan State Historic
Preservation Office, and the Office of the State Archaeologist, Michigan
Department of State (MDOS) that the time had come to reassess all
available information pertinent to the locations of the individual
mounds of the Converse group vis-à-vis the proposed realignment of the
right-of-way. Commonwealth Cultural Resources Group (CCRG) of Jackson,
Michigan, was selected to do a land-use history, a Phase I survey of the
right-of-way, and a review of archival holdings in Grand Rapids.

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The comprehensive archival research by CCRG's C. Stephan Demeter
included a review of newspaper accounts contemporaneous with the
developments on the west bank, as well as the holdings of the Peabody
Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology and the Public Museum of
Grand Rapids at the Van Andel Museum Center. It also published for the
first time a trove of manuscripts, maps, and artifact drawings in the
Porter Collection, Local History Department, Grand Rapids Public
Library. These documents had been created by Grand Rapids residents who
had known the mounds most of their lives and were eyewitnesses to their
destruction (Demeter and Robinson 1999). Although a few archeologists
were aware of their existence, these documents had not previously been
so thoroughly examined and compared with other documentation. Some were
by Wright L. Coffinberry, Grand Rapids' best known antiquarian.

The most useful documents were pencil-drawn maps showing the mounds in
1850, another done in 1887 showing the locations of mounds in relation
to local landmarks, and vertical sections through a mound at three-foot
intervals. There were also pencil drawings of artifacts (many rendered
1:1), including complete and restored pottery vessels from the mounds,
many accompanied by date and provenience information. These had all been
done by Thomas W. Porter, a local sign painter who possessed a fair
artistic talent.

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The range of ceramics from the mounds and present in the Porter drawings
confirms earlier conclusions that the Converse Mounds were built in
middle to late Hopewellian times, whereas the nearby Norton Mounds group
(20 Kt 1) was almost exclusively early Hopewellian (Griffin et al.
1970). Porter's drawings of other sherds reveal a Late Woodland period
of occupation. In addition, the mound group was also the site of a
sizeable village in historic times. Demeter's research revealed a
maximum total of 29 mounds, but there is a substantial margin of error
in location for most of them. Initial plans for highway relocation
indicate that the locations of only one or two mounds will be affected.
These areas will be archeologically tested prior to construction to
avoid a recurrence of the 1885 Decoration Day discovery.

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**References**

Baxter, Albert

1891 History of the City of Grand Rapids

Michigan. Munsell & Company, New York.

Belknap, Charles E.

1922 The Yesterdays of Grand Rapids

The Dean-Hicks Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Coffinberry, Wright L.

1962a Coffinberry Manuscript --- Article IV.

The Coffinberry News Bulletin 9(8):88-91.

1962b Coffinberry Manuscript --- Article IV (continued).

The Coffinberry News Bulletin 9(10):115-116.

1964a Coffinberry Manuscript (Starting Article 11, "That Archaeological
Find").

The Coffinberry News Bulletin 11(1):8-9.

1964b Coffinberry Manuscript (Article 11, continued).

The Coffinberry News Bulletin 11(3):25-26.

Coffinberry, Wright L., and E. A. Strong

1876 Notes Upon Some Explorations of Ancient Mounds in the Vicinity of
Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan.

Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
24:293-297.

Demeter, C. Stephan, and Elaine H. Robinson

1999 Phase I Archaeological Literature Review and Above- Ground
Assessment of the US 131 S-Curve Crossing

of the Grand River in the City of Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan.

Report No. R-0292. Commonwealth Cultural Resources Group, Inc., Jackson,
Michigan.

Fitting, James E.

1971 Rediscovering Michigan Archaeology: Notes on the 1885 Converse
Mound Collection.

The Michigan Archaeologist 17(1):33-39.

Griffin, James B., Richard E. Flanders, and Paul F. Titterington

1970 The Burial Complexes of the Knight and Norton Mounds in Illinois
and Michigan. Memoir No. 2.

Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Halsey, John R.

1990 Weatherly's Antler Beetle.

The Michigan Archaeologist 36(3-4):115-122.

Harms, Richard H., and John R. Halsey

1988 Wright L. Coffinberry: A Renaissance Man in Western Michigan.

Michigan History Magazine 72(5):24-32.

Quimby, George I., Jr.

1941a The Goodall Focus: An Analysis of Ten Hopewellian Components in
Michigan and Indiana.

Prehistory Research Series 2(2). Indiana Historical Society,
Indianapolis.

1941b Hopewellian Pottery Types in Michigan.

Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters 26:489-494.

1943 The Ceramic Sequence within the Goodall Focus.

Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters 28:543-548.

1944 Some New Data on the Goodall Focus.

Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters 29:419-423.

About the Author: Dr. Halsey is the State Archaeologist, whose office is
in the Michigan Historical Center, Lansing MI 48918.

**2. The John L. Cotter Award for Excellence in National Park Service
Archeology**

PREFACE: In honor of the long and distinguished career of Dr. John L.
Cotter and his pioneering contributions to professional archeology
within the National Park System, this annual award was established to
inspire student and professional archeologists to continue Dr. Cotter's
model of excellence.

PURPOSE: To recognize a specific archeological project within a unit of
the National Park System, conducted by National Park Service staff,
cooperator, permittee, or consultant, and guided by senior National Park
Service staff archeologist(s), each fiscal year, which meets or exceeds
the criteria below.

AWARD: The selected project lead person(s) will receive a commemorative
non-monetary award and a certificate bearing name(s) of principal
investigator( s), project dates, and field unit name. Presentation of
the award shall be at a suitable gathering of representative NPS
archeological staff, and a brief project description shall be announced
through official NPS public affairs channels.

CRITERIA: Candidate project leaders and their work within park submerged
or terrestrial sites shall be evaluated for eligibility with respect to
the following elements:

\(1\) Exemplary interdisciplinary research design that includes multiple
testable inquiries (e.g., cultural patterns, affiliations, cultural
change, or other analytical concepts of anthropology) as objectives, and
uses data from other supporting disciplines;

\(2\) Involvement of several students in training for academic work who
perform work elements that contribute significantly to project goals;

\(3\) Thorough scientific analysis, curatorial treatment meeting federal
standards, interpretation of material culture that is integrated with
research design inquiries, and utilization of appropriate specialists'
assistance in these activities;

\(4\) Stated program(s) to enhance public education regarding research
results and benefits of new knowledge generated for improved local
awareness as well as increase scientific values;

\(5\) Publication plans with identified funding for printing of project
results as professional reports, including electronic formats.

PROJECT TYPES: Eligible projects may be a phase of a larger multi-year
program or a singleyear project which addresses prehistoric or historic
archeological resources through: excavation, or survey and inventory, or
testing, or focused symposia, or collection analysis and description, or
combinations of these activities. If not NPS funded, the project must
contribute to a field unit's strategic management of its archeological
resources.

NOMINATION: An ongoing project or one begun in the preceding year and
its supervisory staff may be nominated by an NPS career employee or
non-NPS professional archeologist familiar with the work, other than the
Review Group members or persons otherwise directly involved, during the
fourth quarter of a fiscal year. Nominations addressing the criteria
above should be less than 10 pages with fewer than 5 photographs or
other illustrations. The nominator must forward 6 copies labeled "Cotter
Award Nomination" by October 1 with a dated transmittal letter to the
Office of the Department of the Interior Consulting Archeologist,
National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC
20013-7127.

REVIEW OF NOMINATIONS: At least six NPS supervisory archeologists will
be requested by the Consulting Archeologist to review nominations and
place them in rank order with a recommendation for award. This Review
Group may seek input from previous awardees or non-NPS archeological
experts. A consensus decision is needed. The Consulting Archeologist's
Office will be informed of the award recommendation within two months of
receipt of nominations. The Review Group will schedule a suitable
presentation event. Nonselected nominations will be returned to the
source individual after the award event. The Cotter Award was first
presented on April 4, 2000, at the Annual Meeting of National Park
Service Archeologists held in Philadelphia in conjunction with the
Society for American Archaeology conference. The recipient, Joseph
Labadie, was cited for his multi-year fieldwork at Amistad National
Recreation Area, Texas, which involved many students and avocational
volunteers.

**3. News and Announcements**

New to Chillicothe

Due to the delay in getting this issue of Hopewell Archeology in print,
we have been slow to welcome Jennifer Pederson to the National Park
Service. Jennifer is the National Park Archeologist at Hopewell Culture
National Historical Park in Chillicothe.

Jennifer graduated from high school in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, and
studied anthropology at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia,
and graduated with a B.A. in 1993. Jennifer began graduate school as a
Dean's Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at Ohio State University
in the autumn of 1994. She received her M.A. in Anthropology with a
focus in archeology in 1996 and is currently a Ph.D. candidate.

Her dissertation topic examines the factors affecting the location of
nucleated agricultural communities in central Ohio. Since joining the
National Park Service in January 1999, Jennifer has been busy becoming
familiar with National Park Service procedures and resource management
issues at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. Jennifer plans to
conduct research at the Hopewell site during the summer of 2000.

More Changes at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Superintendent John Neal has
accepted a new position as Superintendent, Apostle Islands National
Lakeshore. He will be stationed in Bayfield, Wisconsin. John served as
Superintendent at Hopewell Culture for seven years. Under his
leadership, the park experienced major expansion with the addition of
the Hopewell site and significant expansion of the boundaries at
Hopeton. He also led the planning for eventual purchase of portions of
the High Banks and Seip Works. John remains a strong supporter of
archeology, and we wish him well in his new position.

Update on Hopeton Earthworks Research

In July 1998, the Midwest Archeological Center and Hopewell Culture
National Historical Park collaborated on field investigations at the
Hopeton Earthworks site. The project was a continuation of research in
an area known as the Triangle site, which is located to the southwest of
the circle and square on the edge of the alluvial terrace. The parallel
walls, as mapped by Squier and Davis, originate at the point where the
circle and square join, and they run southwest across the Triangle site
and end at the terrace edge.

The purpose of the 1998 research was twofold: study the nature of
prehistoric activities in this area of the Hopeton Earthworks, and
evaluate the utility of using geophysical instruments to direct
strategic test excavations at Hopeton and similar earthwork sites in
this area. The 1998 investigations were conducted with assistance from
students of the Milton Hershey School, Hershey, Pennsylvania, and
volunteers from Chillicothe and Columbus, Ohio, and Nashville,
Tennessee.

Prior to the start of the 1998 fieldwork, a large part (9,600 square
meters) of the Triangle site was mapped using an RM-15 resistance meter,
a Geometrics G858 cesium magnetometer, and a Geoscan FM36 fluxgate
gradiometer. In this study, the cesium magnetometer proved to be the
most effective in identifying small anomalies. While the resistance
meter was less useful in identifying small anomalies, it did produce
data that may reflect the remains of one of the parallel walls. A linear
anomaly identified with the RM-15 appears to correspond in location and
orientation to the southern of the two parallel walls as mapped by
Squier and Davis.

The combination of the three geophysical survey instruments produced
evidence of a large number of anomalies that might represent prehistoric
features. The 1998 fieldwork was designed to investigate a number of
these anomalies to evaluate the utility of the geophysical survey and to
learn more about the prehistoric activities associated with the Hopeton
Earthworks.

During more than two weeks of fieldwork, the research team investigated
dozens of potential magnetic or soil resistance anomalies. Anomalies
were investigated through excavation of five test units located over
specific anomalies, and through plowzone stripping of two larger areas
(Blocks A and B). Block A was 14 x 16 m, and Block B was 20 x 20 m.

In these two larger excavation units, each soil stain visible at the
base of the plowzone was carefully mapped, recorded, and evaluated. Most
features were small, subtle, and indicative of short-term use or limited
activities.

Features included post holes, pits, and a prepared clay basin. Most of
these features appear to be associated with Middle Woodland period
activities at the Hopeton Earthworks, but more recent features
associated with the Late Woodland period are also present. Flotation
samples from the features have been processed, and laboratory analyses
of bone, macro-botanical remains, and lithics are underway.

One of the pit features produced a moderately large piece of mica. The
mica is roughly oval-shaped, and it is approximately 16 cm long and 8 cm
wide. The mica was cleaned, treated, and examined by the Gerald R. Ford
Conservation Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Examination of the object
included visual examination using a binocular microscope,
photomacrographs, and preparation of measured drawings. Careful
examination of the mica indicates that at least some of the edges have
been cut. Comparison of these edges with photos of cut-mica objects in
the collections at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park confirm
this interpretation.

Analysis of materials from the Hopeton Earthworks is ongoing. The
Midwest Archeological Center hopes to prepare a report of this research
in 2001.

Mounds and Geophysics

Mark R. Schurr, University of Notre Dame, has prepared a report on his
geophysical investigation of the Middle Woodland mounds in northwest
Indiana. The report describes Schurr's research at well-known sites such
as Goodall and Bellinger, and it also provides valuable information
about less well known sites such as Weise Mound (12 Pr 35), Williams
Mound (12 Sj 330), and the Mud Lake site (12 Le 14). The report was
prepared for the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology,
Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and is titled "Geophysical
Surveys of Middle Woodland Mounds in Northwest Indiana." It is a
valuable reference for anyone with an interest in geophysics or
northwest Indiana archeology.

**4. Meeting Calendar**

Perspective on Middle Woodland at the Millennium

Center for American Archaeology, Kampsville, Illinois, July 19--21,
2000.

Contact Jodi O'Gorman (618) 653-4316.

2000 Southeastern Archaeological Conference

The Crown Plaza Hotel, Macon, Georgia. November 8--11, 2000,

Contact Adam King, Savannah River Archaeological Research Program,
email: aking@sc.edu.

Joint Meeting of the Midwest Archeological Conference and Plains
Anthropological Conference

Radisson Hotel, St. Paul, Minnesota, November 9--12, 2000.

Contact Mark Dudzik (612) 725-2411.

66th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology

April 18--22, 2001, New Orleans Marriott and Le Meridien Hotels.

Contact Tobi Brimsek (202) 789- 8200.

**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.

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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 at the bottom
of the page. 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.

**Reference**

Brose, David S. 1974

The Everett Knoll: A Late Hopewellian Site in Northeastern Ohio.

The Ohio Journal of Science 74(1):36-46.

About the Authors. Jeffery Richner is an Archeologist at the Midwest
Archeological Center and specializes in the archeology of the Midwest.
William Volf is an Archeological Technician at the Center and is also a
student at the University of Nebraska majoring in anthropology with
specialization in archeology. undisturbed site features.