Milford chronicle., 1953-07-24
Sussex Diggers Find
Indian Pottery


DR.. David Marine Of Rehobotb
Beach, projects chairman Of the
Sussex Archaeological Association.
reports finding Of an unusually
large Indian pottery vessel 81
beautiful design by a member Of the
association.
Displayed at the JEiiS meeting at
the home Of Mr.. and Mrs. Samuel
M. Sloan, Herring Greek, the pot
was discovered by Perry s. illegal,
member Of the Hurlock, Nd. High
School faculty, while digging on the
Willin Site of Marshy Hope Creek
on the Eastern Shore. The WilIin
Site is currently the main excava-
ton center Of activities Of the Sus-
sex 'diggers."
In describing the rare piece Of
pottery, DR.. Marine says that while
being not only one Of the largest
unearthed to date by the county
archaeologists, ''the pot is Of unique
and beautiful design. It's decorations
.of a triangular pattern apparently
done freehand by the aboriginal
maker, has an incomplete triangle,
.evincing the untutored skill of the
Drimitives. It's rim is about Is inches
in diameter" Mr.. illegal brought
some of the larger sherds for dis
play, and has enough altogether to
assemble an almost complete pot,
he said.
A report on the Ritter Site off
Pilot Town Road north of LeWes
was given by the main speaker at
the meeting, H. Geiger Omwake. He
illustrated his talk with picture
slides of artifacts discovered on the
site.
Orville H. Peets of Indian River
Hundred, editor of the associations
periodical, The Archaeolog, gave a
demonstration of atlatal throwing.
weapon used for hunting by the
Indians before they developed the
bow and arrow.
Richard Ehlers, Mr.. Peet's neigh
Dor, also demonstrated one Of the
spear-throwing sticks he had fash
iOned in larger size from one made
by DR.. Marine. Through research
the local archaeOlOgists have ascer-
tanned that the atlatal was the chief
hunting weapon of the American
Indians in stalking big animals more
than 5000. years ago, as the atlatal
spearheads were found with the re-
mains of big game such as the now
extinct mammoth.
At the business session presided
over by President Harold w. T..
Purnell of Georgetown, the mem
bers discussed the new Delaware
Archaeological Board just created
by the State Legislature, which is
to be seyen-member board, in
Guiding a representative from the
Sussex Association. The nominating
committee recommended three
members to be submitted to Gov. J..
Caleb BOggs. They are Dr. Ches-
leigh A. Bonnie of RehOboth, con-
sultant geOlogist of the association
and former professor of geology at
Penn State College; Miss Catherine
c. Maull of Lewes, curator of the
zwaanendael Museum, and Henry
H. Hutchinson of Bethel, immediate
past president.
The present summer work of the
association, says DR.. Marine, will
center on the WilIin Site in the
Marshy Hope region, the largest
branch of the Nanticoke River
known in colonial records as the
Northwest Fork, site of particularly
fertile Indian villages and burial
/ grounds, near Sharptown. The lat
est issue of "The Archaeolog" was
distributed by Editor Peets, con-
tanning largely reports of the
Marshy Hope artifacts.
The entire meeting was held out
doors on the Sloane estate on the
/ banks of the Herring Creek, near
Angola. The hostesses were Mrs.
Sloan and Mrs. Roger Vandergrift
of Millville. The members brought
picnic suppers for themselves and
several guests, enjoyed at sundown
before the business session.
It was one of the largest atten-
dances this year, approximately so.
Guests included Kenneth Wilson,
curator of the State Museum at
Dover; Mrs. Caleb c. Layton of
Wilmington, and Mrs. Sally White
hall of Bridgeville, a prospective
new member