The Shifting Sands: The Archaeology of Cape Cod
By David Gallagher
Originally published in Inside Cape Cod, July 2003
Many Cape Codders pride themselves on being born in such a beautiful and bountiful place. They tolerate, sometimes gracefully, the many that vacation here, and breathe a sigh of relief when the summer crowds leave and they can reclaim ‘their’ land. Anyone not born here who chooses to live and work on the Cape are considered ‘washashores’ -- never truly a Cape Codder.
Such is life on this dynamic and changing peninsula, where wind and sea have carved the land into new and fanciful shapes in the geologic blink of an eye. Change here can be measured not in centuries, but in decades, years, and sometimes hours. Many Cape Codders cling to the false belief that this is ‘their’ land -- that we can somehow own the beauty in which we reside.
Even the first European settlers did not find an empty land. The Pilgrims encountered settled villages and communities of native Wampanoags. These native groups were themselves descendants of a far older people, a people whose history is being uncovered today from the shifting sands of Cape Cod.
Archaeologists have discovered much about this ancient people. The evidence has been hidden under the farms, houses, and land of the Cape for thousands of years, and is only recently coming to light. Bits of broken pottery, arrowheads, stone tools, and spear tips have all been discovered on the Cape for hundreds of years, but today they are finally being scientifically studied, categorized and documented. They are pieces of a vast puzzle, slowly being assembled to show how these people lived, what they ate, and why they came to what is now Cape Cod.
Dr. Fred Dunford of the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History has spent the past over 20 years searching for and studying these clues.
“The story of the Cape is a story of constant change,” states Dunford, “whether you go back 9,000 years ago or nine.”
As the resident Archaeologist at the Museum, Dunford conducts field studies, collects data and samples, and theorizes on what it all means. His 1997 book Secrets in the Sand, written with Greg O’Brien, is a fascinating tour through the history of the Cape from the last Ice Age to European settlement. In it, Dunford describes his research and how he believes this ancient people lived.
During the last Ice Age (nearly 12,000 year ago), most of New England was covered in a vast sheet of ice. When the earth warmed, the ice sheet began to melt and gradually receded north, leaving behind all of the sediment that had built up at its face. This sediment became what are now Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.
The first inhabitants of this new land are called ‘Paleoindians’ by archaeologists, and they arrived approximately 10,000 years ago. At the time, the Cape was very different. It in fact wasn’t a ‘cape’ at all, but a vast outwash plain of sedimentary deposits. Open pine forests succeeded post-glacial tundra, and the land stretched as far south at Nantucket due to the lower ocean level.
The ocean at the time may have been much lower than it is today, but it was rising rapidly. Because of this, the oldest archaeological sites in the area today are most likely covered by Cape Cod Bay or Nantucket Sound. Despite this, there have been many significant discoveries regarding these first Cape Codders.
About 9,500 years ago, native people settled down into seasonal camps. Summer camps were most likely near the ancient coastline, and have since been flooded by the rising sea. For winter camps, however, sites may have been chosen in the protected hills of the Cape’s interior. These sites remain accessible today, and many have been studied.
Archaeological evidence collected at Herring River in Harwich, the Bass River in Dennis, and Stony Brook Valley in Brewster shows evidence of at least a seasonal native population and suggests extensive fishing communities. The people at this time surely had to deal with a rapidly changing environment, including the rising sea.
By 3,500 years ago, sea levels had stabilized, and coastal processes began to shape the modern coast of Cape Cod. From this point forward the land would be shaped by wind and sea. By 2,500 years ago large communities were established at all of the major estuaries of the Cape.
Much of what archaeologist know about the Cape’s first residents comes from their trash. Shell middens are ancient trash heaps, made up of discarded shell, plant and animal remains, stone and bone tools, and other household items. The shells neutralize the otherwise acidic Cape soil, preserving the contents of the site. Archaeologists can then dig, clean, collect and analyze the remains to determine what these ancient people ate, what time of year they used the camp, and other revealing clues to their lives.
“The soil of Cape Cod is extremely acidic,” explains Dunford, “which means that we have few items remaining. Trying to tell a complete story with these artifacts is like trying to tell the story of your life using only your kitchen implements. We can tell quite a bit about their lives, but much remains impossible to imagine.”
What is known about these first Cape Codders depends greatly on the time period. Evidence of Paleoindians, who settled New England 9,000 to 10,000 years ago, has been elusive. We do know that they were a nomadic people, migrating seasonally for food and other resources. They lived in small, highly mobile groups and moved frequently.
Archaeologists have a better understanding of later inhabitants. Excavations of shell middens indicate that Nauset saw this kind of seasonal occupation as far back as 3,000 years ago, and that these people were the ancestors of the people of Nauset who met Champlain in the summer of 1605.
European accounts of the native groups they met give us a more complete view of daily life. Communities of several families were formed around bays and estuaries. The inhabitants lived in circular houses made of bent saplings covered with mats made from salt marsh grasses. The men of the group hunted and fished. The bones of deer, bear, wolves, squirrels, and rabbits have been discovered in shell middens.
Women and children planted gardens and collected nuts, berries, herbs, and other medicinal plants. In addition, the women gathered shellfish, crabs, and lobsters from shallow water. Salt marsh grasses were harvested to make mats and baskets. Cooking and storage pots were made from clay. As the weather became colder, the larger community broke up into family groups and moved to protected inland camps to spend the winter.
Archaeology along the coast can be a difficult proposition. Sometimes, erosion plays a role in revealing a site that had remained hidden for thousands of years. At Sandy Neck in Barnstable, such a site was exposed and later buried by wind, sand and sea. It is a process that has no doubt been repeated many times over.
“The rising sea has claimed archaeological sites,” said Dunford, “and continues to do so.”
Other sites, like Upper Mill Pond in Brewster, have been found on more stable ground. Upper Mill Pond is a kettle pond, formed about 19,000 years ago by melting glacial ice. Archaeologists estimate that the site, situated on a bluff overlooking Upper Mill Pond and about 50 feet above sea level, is 7,000 to 9,000 years old as dated by arrowheads and stone tools found on there. Similar sites have been located and studied throughout the Cape.
Dr. Dunham and the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History are in the process of a thorough study of Wing Island in Brewster. Wing Island was first purchased by an English settler named John Wing in 1656 from Edward Bangs of the Mayflower Company. Some stories say that Wing lived on the island with his family, but no evidence exists today to support this. History records almost 350 years of European use of the island, but its real story is far older.
Dunford has spent over seven years studying Wing Island, delving deep into the soil and into the past. The site is a 140-acre preserve of heavily wooded upland that rises from a coastal salt marsh. Dunford and his team have dug over 1400 shovel test pits on the island. 81% of these have revealed prehistorical or historical artifacts. The site has proven to be significant to the story of Cape Cod.
“The island and the surrounding salt marsh is a microcosm of the Cape,” states Dunford. “The coastal resources have always been significant for the people who have settled here.”
In his study of Wing Island, Dunford is looking for all evidence of human activity, ancient or not. He has found a variety of artifacts, including stone tools, knives, scraping tools, nails, and glass and brick fragments. Some of these are historical artifacts that tell of European colonization while others are clearly of prehistoric origins. All told, Dunford estimates that the island has seen human occupation for the past 9,000 years.
The study of Wing Island continues this year. Dunford and the Museum have surveyed about half the island, but there is much work still to be done. As the weather improves, the dig will continue on Thursday mornings. During the summer months, a team digs for 6 weeks in July and August. As in past projects, volunteers will play a key role.
“The Wing Island project will continue this season, and volunteers are still needed to participate,” said Dunford. “Volunteers will receive training, and participate in excavating, screening, cleaning, recording, and mapping the site.”
“Past volunteers,” said Dunford, “have included retirees, college and high school students, and even teachers have wanted what to use archaeology in the classroom. All are welcome.”
Bob Snowdon of Harwichport has volunteered for the past four years with the museum.
“In the first test pit I dug, I found a spear point about 6,000 years old,” said Snowdon. “That probably hooked me. Last July, we found 300 artifacts out of a single test pit.”
“I get a big kick out of finding these artifacts,” continued Snowdon, “from holding a spear point in your hand, and knowing that someone made this 4,000 years before Christ. This is my number one hobby.”
Whoever chooses to spend their time digging into the sandy Cape soil may yet find another elusive piece of the puzzle that is our prehistory. As it has for thousands of years, the ever-changing land that is Cape Cod will remake itself as the sea and winds demand. Who can tell what ancient secrets lie buried beneath these shifting sands?
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SIDEBAR
The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
869 Route 6A
Brewster, MA 02631
Phone 508.896.3867
Fax 508.896.8844
Email: info@ccmnh.org
Archaeology: The Museum is always looking for enthusiastic volunteers for its archaeological digs as well as other programs. The team digs on warm days in the spring on Thursdays from 9-12, and in the summer from Monday to Friday from 8am-12 for 6 weeks in July and August. Call Museum for details.
General Museum hours are 9:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday - Saturday, 11 am to 4:30 pm Sunday. Admission is for $7 adults, ages 13 & up; $3.50 ages 3-12, age 2 & under free
Exhibits include:
• “The Cape Takes Shape,” a new exhibit about coastal change
• What About Whales?
• Cape Cod Birds
• The Marine Room
• Bird display
• Interactive exhibits for children
Natural History Summer Camp offers a range of programs for ages 3 to Grade 7, encouraging discovery and learning, and instilling appreciation of the environment through age-appropriate indoor and outdoor activities led by our Educator/Naturalists. Nature walks, field study and habitat exploration give campers a unique, Cape Cod experience.
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