National Register of Historic Places

Williamson Site

Dinwiddie, Dinwiddie County, Virginia
Listed
December 2, 1969
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
69000237

About this property

The Williamson Site is an early prehistoric archaeological site located about 5 miles East of Dinwiddie, Dinwiddie County, Virginia along the south bank of the Little Cattail Creek. It is one of the largest Early Man sites in North America and dated to sometime between 15,000 and 11,500 years Before Present. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. The site was first identified in 1947 after 4 fluted points were found there and it was noted that the surface was covered with cores and unused flakes. Thirty three Paleo-Indian fluted points and a number of snub-nosed scrapers, side scrapers, fluted basal ends of knives, and gravers were subsequently recovered, primarily of chert. A large number of projectile points from later period, mostly made of quartzite, were found as well. It consists of more than 75 acres of cultivated land. The site consists of over 100 areas where projectile points have been found. In 1965 Ben McCary and Vance Haynes made two bulldozer cuts to test for possible stratigraphy. One cut showed possible stratigraphy. In March 1972 another excavation occurred. After cleaning the earlier bulldozer cut to establish strata, two 10 by 10 foot squares were excavated. Finds included a small crude fluted quartzite projectile point, a chert flake, two scrapers, and a hammerstone. From 1992 to 1994 the site was excavated by Phillip J. Hill. Thirteen 5-foot squares were opened and a variety of flakes and tool debris were found. Hranicky, Wm Jack, "A MICROBLADE CORE FROM THE WILLIAMSON SITE, DINWIDDIE COUNTY, VIRGINIA", Archaeology of Eastern North America, vol. 33, 2005, pp. 51–56, 2005 Peck, Rodney M., "A REAMER FROM THE WILLIAMSON SITE, DINWIDDIE COUNTY, VIRGINIA", Central States Archaeological Journal, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 62–63, 2001 Rodney M. Peck, "America's Largest Paleo-Indian Workshop Site, Dinwiddie County Virginia: The Williamson Site. A complete site report of America's Largest Paleo-Indian Site", Peck's Place Publishing, 2005 Peck, Rodney M., "PALEO INDIAN TOOL KIT OF THE WILLIAMSON SITE", Central States Archaeological Journal, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 154–57, 2003

Location

Dinwiddie, Dinwiddie County, Virginia

Categories

PREHISTORIC
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Questions about this property

When was Williamson Site listed on the National Register?

Williamson Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1969.

What type of historic resource is Williamson Site?

Williamson Site is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Williamson Site?

The period of significance for Williamson Site is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Williamson Site?

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