n e w a cq u i s i t i o n
In Memory of the Monongahela The Conservancy saves a prehistoric site threatened by urban sprawl and mining.
BOB OSHNOCK
T
he Dividing Ridge site, located in Westmoreland County in western Pennsylvania, is a very interesting example of a Late Woodland period fortified village. The site was discovered in 1979 and recorded in 1981 by Bob Oshnock, an archaeologist and historian. The Monongahela Culture is most likely responsible for the habitations on the site, but due to the lack of professional work done there, little is known about the people who inhabited the hilltop more than 900 years ago. Monongahela culture flourished in the river and creek valleys of Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland from approximately A.D. 1050 to 1635. Dividing Ridge is unusual in that it is not on any major creek or river. The Monongahela depended on agriculture and the fertile lands were found along creeks and river bottoms. Monongahela cultural traits include stockades around villages, an abundance of pottery, and clay artifacts such as pipes. Their structures were generally rounded and laid out in rings around a central common area. Often the dead were buried beneath homes and inside the walls of the stockade. The people who inhabited Dividing Ridge probably moved there from a site by the river. Why they did this is not known, which adds to the importance of Dividing Ridge. Their relocation to a higher area marks an interesting cultural change. Other Monongahela sites such as Janitor, Consol, and Turkey Town have been found in the uplands. Their elevated positions and limited access suggest the inhabitants were concerned about defense. These sites have been dated to the later part of the Monongahela existence in Western Pennsylvania and Dividing Ridge will probably yield similar dates. The artifacts from Dividing Ridge also look very similar to other upland sites in Western Pennsylvania.
The top two rows of these Monongahela artifacts are Madison-type knives; the third row, Madison projectile points. The bottom row consists of (from left) a fragment of a clay pipe bowl, a pendant, two bone beads, and a cordmarked sherd.
Coal mining and urban sprawl threaten sites like Dividing Ridge. The site probably would have been affected by construction in the near future. But William Barclay, the site’s owner and a lifelong resident of Westmoreland County, wanted to protect it. Consequently, he sold it to the Conservancy. As sprawl and mining companies continue to threaten the vestiges of Monongahela culture, the Conservancy will be preserving as many sites as possible in Western Pennsylvania. —Joe Navari
Conservancy Plan of Action SITE: Dividing Ridge CULTURE & TIME PERIOD: Monongahela A.D. 1050–1635. STATUS: The site is threatened by urban sprawl. ACQUISITION: The Conservancy is
purchasing 10 acres for $32,000. HOW YOU CAN HELP: Please send
Dividing Ridge
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contributions to The Archaeological Conservancy, Attn: Dividing Ridge Project, 5301 Central Ave. NE, Suite 902, Albuquerque, NM 87108-1517.
winter • 2003-04
