Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-21
Earliest Known Man
Troced to Virginia
200 Folsom Type -FIints
Found Throughout State
By Themes R. Henry

MOUNTAIN LAKE. Va, July H.
More than 200 Folsom type stone jaw
elm heads, the hunting implements Of
the earliest known humans In the New
World, now have been found In vir-
ginia.
Pre-Indians. perhaps the direct de-
scendants Of the first migrants out of
Siberia into North America not more
than 10000 years ago. apparently
ranged widely over the Old Dominion
more than 10000 years before the first
voyage OF Columbus. The unmistakable.
peculiarly faxed flint points now have
been picked up, one or two at . time.
In every county Of the State except
those Immediately on the coast.
This Is the conclusion of group Of
Virginia psychologists, who have worked
this summer out of the Mountain Lake
biological station Of the University Of
Virginia and now are engaged In ex-
ploring village and camp sites Of much
later Indians.
Found In New Mexico.
The Folsom point first was found
about Is years ago in association with
the remains Of long-extinct animals
near Folsom, N. Mex. and 1t could be
demonstrated indisputably that 1t was
used by Nomad hunters during the last
of the ice age. Since then scattered
implements of the same type have been
picked up over much Of the country.
Apparently Folsom man reached the
eastern seaboard quite early. and there
must have been some concentration OF
them, especially In the Piedmont region
Of the Blue Ridge Mountains where
the largest number Of the Virginia
specimens have been found. Many OF
these finds have been quite spasmodic
by local antiquarians, college students
and others and have not been reported
in any publications. There was no rea-
son to suppose Virginia contained any
unusual number until q survey was
conducted by DR.. d. C. McCary of the
College OF william and Mary. Once this
was started he began getting reports
of unannounced finds from all over the
State.
No human remains have as yet been
reported in association with any OF
these finds. It is quite improbable.
psychologists here say, that any will
be found. The nomad hunters presum-
ably gathered only in temporary biv-
ouacs on hilltops, and it is quite
unlikely that they bothered to bury
their dead.
village Excayated.
Meanwhile the psychologists are
carrying out extensive excavations on
a large village or town site of the
Saponi Indians, close relatives of the
Sioux who lived in western Virginia at
the time of the first white settlements,
near the town of Halifax. This settle
ment apparently covered about Is
acres. Up to now it has been possible
to uncover only about two acres. since
the soil must be removed very carefully
and sifted for artifacts.
But already vivid picture of the
ancient village Is emerging. The houses,
traces of the old postholes show, were
built in quite straight lines. Each
house was about II feet square and
sheltered family of about ten persons.
The walls consisted of logs set upright
in the soil and matched over in some
, way for roof.
In three corners Of each house site
uncovered to date human burials have
been found. Apparently according to
DR.. John H. Reeves, jr., of the Virginia
Military Institute and leader of the
group, all who died were buried inside
the houses, probably as protection
against wild animals. Burials were less
than two feet deep and always were in
a flexed position.
Houses Changed Often.
Apparently. DR.. Reeves says, house
must have been abandoned every few
years after only three or four mem
bers of the group had died. There is no
evidence of any burials outside the
house sites.
The houses. the post imprints show.
were erected about 20 feet apart and
probably were quite substantial. The
Saponi were primarily hunting people
of the Virginia uplands who eventually
succumbed before the constant adj
vance Of the white settlers and at last
found refuge among the Iroquois Five
Nations of central New York. Some Of
their descendants still remain, on the
Iroquois reservations.
Meanwhile, under the direction Of
the archaeological group. the State is
being covered intensively for further
sites of the real first families Of Viz
ginia.
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