National Register of Historic Places

Buffalo Indian Village Site

Buffalo, Putnam County, West Virginia
Listed
January 24, 1971
Type
Site
Period
Colonial
Ref No.
71000883

About this property

The Buffalo Indian Village Site is an archaeological site located near Buffalo, Putnam County, West Virginia, along the Kanawha River in the United States. This site sits atop a high terrace on the eastern bank of the Kanawha River and was once home to a variety of Native American villages including the Archaic, Middle Woodland and Fort Ancient cultures of this region. Buffalo Village was the site of one of the first systematic archaeological projects performed in West Virginia and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. At some point between the years 1640 and 1730, most of the territory between the Ohio Valley and Fort Ancient region of West Virginia, was abandoned. It is a possibility that nearby Iroquois Nations posed certain pressures regarding the fur trade that led to the abandonment of these sites. The introduction of European diseases may have been a possible factor as well, but the bigger details are largely unknown by researchers.

Location

Buffalo, Putnam County, West Virginia

Categories

HISTORIC - ABORIGINAL
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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Everything a full report reveals about Buffalo Indian Village Site

This page lists Buffalo Indian Village Site. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

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 Buffalo Indian Village Site listed on the National Register?

Buffalo Indian Village Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 24, 1971.

What type of historic resource is Buffalo Indian Village Site?

Buffalo Indian Village Site is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Buffalo Indian Village Site?

The period of significance for Buffalo Indian Village Site is recorded as the colonial era.

Can I research the history near Buffalo Indian Village Site?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Buffalo Indian Village Site will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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