Near Buffalo in Putnam County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Indian Village
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Excavations
Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 13, 2019
1. The Indian Village face of this marker
Indian Village. The Buffalo Indian Village and Cemetery, between the road and the Kanawha River, was one of the largest Indian towns in West Virginia. It was occupied about 1650 by Shawnee Indians who later moved westward.
Excavations. Excavations, 1963-64, showed a central plaza surrounded by large ceremonial buildings and a semi-circle of ordinary houses; all were enclosed by a stockade. Hundreds of burials were found at this Fort Ancient village site.
Erected 1964 by West Virginia Historic Commission.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. In addition, it is included in the West Virginia Archives and History series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1650.
Location. 38° 35.223′ N, 81° 59.747′ W. Marker is near Buffalo, West Virginia, in Putnam County. It is on Charleston Road (West Virginia Route 62) 0.3 miles north of the Kanawha River bridge south of Buffalo (Route 869), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 17704 Charleston Rd, Buffalo WV 25033, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Virginia’s Kyova Tri-State Region and in the Mid-Ohio Valley. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Buffalo United Methodist Church (approx. 2.3 miles away); Raiders in Buffalo (approx. 2.3 miles
this page online
Also see . . . e-WV entry for Fort Ancient Culture. Excerpt:
Fort Ancient is the name given to a late prehistoric culture whose people lived in present Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and southern West Virginia between A.D. 1000 and 1650. The name was taken from the Fort Ancient Earthworks in Ohio, which was originally thought to be from the late prehistoric period, but was later found to be an earlier, Woodland-era site.(Submitted on July 30, 2019.)
In West Virginia, Fort Ancient territory begins south of Sistersville, on the Ohio River, and includes the lower reaches of the tributaries of the Ohio and Kanawha rivers. Archeologists now believe that Fort Ancient society developed from local Woodland peoples and probably represented different ethnic and linguistic groups who shared similar traits, such as maize horticulture, shell-tempered pottery, bow-and-arrow technology, and in many instances, circular, palisadedvillages. At least one early Fort Ancient village, Roseberry Farm in Mason County, had a burial mound associated with it.Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 13, 20192. The Excavations face of this marker
Additional keywords. Roseberry Farm
Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 13, 2019
3. Indian Village / Excavations Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on September 27, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,923 times since then and 95 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 30, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
