Sources differ on the number of houses represented at Peck No. 2. Augustine (1938d:85-89) stated that postmold remains representing 61 circular houses were found at Peck No. 2, while Cresson (n.d.) said that there were 64 houses at Peck No. 2. Available field notes (Augustine 1937a) indicate that there were clearly only 59 dwellings at Peck No. 2. Five of the houses were later redesignated post-enclosed storage features and this redesignation is supported by a review of the appropriate field notes (Augustine 1937a). While Cresson's (n.d.) map (Figure 12) has houses numbered up to House 64, the numbering of houses is not sequential and only 59 actual dwellings are indicated on this map. Contrary to the typical practice, the WPA excavators recorded no post locations for one circular house; the center point and diameter of the house were provided instead. Ironically, this is one of the few houses at Peck No. 2 (36 SO 8) where the number of postmolds associated with the house were counted.
Several houses within the boundaries of the smaller occupation may be part of the house ring associated with the larger occupation. House 21 is largely within the smaller occupation, but the overlap of a palisade line indicates that it was associated with the larger occupation. Houses 31 and 32 seem to fall within the plaza area of the smaller occupation. However, since the house ring associated with the larger occupation clearly extended through the smaller occupation, these houses may be part of the larger occupation. Other houses may also be part of the larger occupation, but the overlap between the house rings of the two occupations and the large disturbed area within the boundaries of the smaller village limit further speculations. Fortunately, the majority of houses are not in this area of overlap and could be clearly assigned to either occupation. A large structure on the eastern side of the larger occupation was 10.4 x 11.3 meters (34 x 37 feet) and was interpreted as a possible council house (Augustine 1938d:85). A second large house is located on the western side of the larger occupation. Cresson (n.d.:32) suggested that the positioning of these two larger houses on either side of the larger occupation may have had some unspecified cultural significance.
Based on an analysis of original field forms (Augustine 1937a) and a review of the site map (Cresson n.d.), it is clear that the WPA excavated 129 features at Peck No. 2, of which 33 had profiles or planviews (Figure 12). Feature types recognized at Peck No. 2 included hearths, storage pits, and burials. All features whose function could not be determined were designated refuse pits. The number of attached and free-standing post-enclosed features at Peck No. 2 is not clear. Five attached and twenty freestanding post-enclosed features are clearly indicated at Peck No. 2 in the field notes (Augustine 1937a) and on Cresson's (n.d.) map of the site. However, Cresson (n.d.) records a total of six post-enclosed features at Peck No. 2. It is possible that one of the twenty free-standing post-enclosed pits recorded at this site was in fact attached to a dwelling. Unfortunately, there is insufficient information available to resolve this discrepancy. Two of the known attached post-enclosed features were pear-shaped, with the smaller end attached to a house. Specialized pit treatment is evident for two of the free-standing post-enclosed features, whose bases were covered with a grass and twig layer.
Several post-enclosed features and houses form a small, but distinct cluster that is differentiated within the larger house ring and that may represent a courtyard group. A courtyard is defined here as an open area bounded on all sides by structural elements, in this case the houses and post-enclosed features. This courtyard is analogous to the central plaza of the village, except that the courtyard was accessible only to members of the courtyard group, while the central plaza was open to all members of the village. The members of the courtyard group may have consisted of an extended family or a group of families pooling their labor to maximize subsistence production. The members of the courtyard group may have been more economically successful than other families within the village, which might explain the unusually large dwelling represented by House 49. The possible courtyard group at Peck No. 2 has at least six or seven associated storage features, depending on how one draws its boundaries. This grouping of storage features may indicate an attempt at limiting access to stored goods to members of the courtyard group. The post-enclosed features would also have been ideal for concealing the economic success of the courtyard group from other members of the community.
The 24 definite burials at Peck No. 2 were considered poorly preserved by the WPA excavators, though photographs indicate that preservation was generally good (Augustine 1938d). One possible burial feature contained no skeletal remains, but did have a "typical burial stain" and a complete pottery vessel at the base of the pit (Augustine, 1937a). Since no burial pit morphology data were recorded, it is not clear what is meant by a "typical burial stain."
Some patterning is evident in the distribution of burial features with respect to other burial features and to various elements of village site structure. Three of the burials were located within houses: Burial 4 was recovered within House 20; Burial 12 was located in House 26; and, Burial 23 was found in House 43. Burial 24 is located in the courtyard area northeast of House 53. More distinct pattering is also evident in the location of burial features within Peck No. 2. The majority of burials occur in two distinct clusters within Peck No. 2. The southern end of one burial cluster is located between Houses 24 and 26, the latter of which contained Burial 12. This burial cluster, which extends northward for a distance of approximately 15.2 meters (50 feet), includes Burials 5 through 11. The second cluster is bounded on four sides by Houses 20, 21, 27, and 28. A post-enclosed feature, Feature 9-1, may help define the northern boundary of this burial cluster. This burial cluster includes Burials 13 through 17. Burial 4, as mentioned above, is located in House 20, which helped define the edges of this cluster. Burial 19 is located within 7.6 meters (25 feet) to the southeast of this cluster. Both burial clusters appear to represent formally defined cemetery areas.
The chronological position of the two cemetery areas at Peck No. 2 with respect to each other and the two village occupations is open to a number of different interpretations. One scenario is that each village occupation at Peck No. 2 had an associated formally defined cemetery area. However, the burial cluster defined between houses 20, 21, 27, and 28 is located in an area of overlap between the two village occupations and could be part of the larger occupation's house ring. House 20, at least, is definitely part of the larger occupation, since the palisade of the smaller occupation intersects the structure. Alternatively, both burial clusters could be associated with the smaller occupation. In this case, one burial cluster would have been located within the village occupation and the other would have been located outside the village occupation. Too little information is currently available to ascertain which of these three scenarios is accurate. The remaining burials within Peck No. 2 form no clear spatial patterning, though the majority are located within the boundaries of the larger occupation.
Specialized pit treatment was recorded for seven burials. One of the adult male burials (Burial 17) had eight large, flat rocks placed over the skeletal remains. Four other burials (Burials 7, 8, 10, and 14) unidentified as to sex also had rocks placed over the skeletal remains, ranging in count from two to eleven rocks. The skeleton in Burial 5 appeared to have been placed on a bed of river sand and stones. In Burial 13, a bright red ash deposit was encountered over the skeletal remains. All graves with evidence for specialized pit treatment are located within the two burial clusters.
Cultural remains were found in more than half of the burial features. In several cases, the WPA excavators made it clear that the artifacts represented accidental inclusions in the backdirt used to refill the burial pits. However, intentional inclusion of cultural remains was noted in at least seven of the burials. In general, there appears to have been a negative correlation between burials with some form of specialized pit treatment and burials with intentional inclusions of cultural remains. Only Burial 7 had some evidence for both specialized pit treatment and directly associated cultural remains.
Cultural remains recovered from all contexts in
Peck No. 2 included projectile points, stone and clay pipes, bone awls, scrapers,
bird bone beads, pestles and mortars (Augustine, 1938d:86-89). As with Peck
No. 1, feature and artifact types recovered by the WPA and the artifacts
re-analyzed by George (1983:65) clearly indicate the existence of a Late
Prehistoric Monongahela occupation at Peck No. 2.
First appeared in Journal of Middle Atlantic Archaeology 14:39-63.
Original copyright 1998. Reprinted with permission from Archaeological
Services.
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