Highland Creek Site

The Highland Creek site is an important Middle to Late Archaic campsite located in Union County, Kentucky.  This site was occupied from around 3400 to 2800 B.C.  This was a period of time when groups became more sedentary, and archaeologists can document greater regionalization in the archaeological record of the Ohio Valley.

While nut collection appears to have been the dominant subsistence activity undertaken in the vicinity of this site, hunting and fishing of a variety of animal resources, along with the collection of several seed and fruit bearing plants, supplemented the diet of the site's inhabitants.  Exploitation of the wetland environment surrounding the site was an important component of the local subsistence economy.

Examination of the plant remains generated further insight into the nature of the occupation of the site.  The plant remain assemblage is dominated by carbonized nut shell, with hickory and black walnut being the most common, followed by acorn, pecan, butternut and hazelnut.  Wild seed plants include dry land and/or lowland species of grape, persimmon, marshelder, erect knotweed, bedstraw and spurge.  Though found in relatively low frequencies, the presence of these plants reflects a wide spectrum of plant exploitation.  Use of aquatic and wetland plant resources is also indicated by the presence of pondweed, chokeberry and hawthorn.  Two possible cultigens (squash and gourd) also are present in low frequencies.

Analysis of the recovered animal remains points to the exploitation of a broad spectrum of animals, focused on both terrestrial and aquatic resources.  Among the identified animals were white-tailed deer, gray squirrel, woodchuck, and swamp rabbit, turkey, duck, freshwater drumfish and catfish species.  A late fall to early spring occupation of the site is suggested by the presence of the migratory waterfowl, a spring through summer occupation can be inferred from the fish and reptile species recovered, and a late summer through fall occupation is indicated by the presence of mussel shell and aquatic snails.  These indicators span all four seasons, suggesting that the site may have been periodically occupied year-round during the late Middle Archaic/early Late Archaic period.