The First Inhabitants of Perry County

The First Inhabitants of Perry County. Perry County Bicentennial.

16,000 years ago: Native Americans arrived in North America , 11,000 years ago: Paleoindians settled in Perry County , 1,000 years ago: Maize farming villages appeared

, Paleoindians thrived in the Ridge and Valley Region of Central Pennsylvania. For 11,000 years, the rivers and forests provided food, water, and materials to make tools, ornaments, clothing and shelters. Native Americans utilized the environment by moving between locations with the most seasonally available food such as deer, migratory birds, and fish, but mostly roots, seeds, nuts and berries. Evidence from archaeological sites has revealed tools for butchering, hide working, woodworking, seed and nut grinding along with cooking hearths, roasting pits, storage and refuse pits., As climate changed and human population increased, hunting and gathering bands became more dependent on plant foods such as goosefoot, marsh elder, may grass and squash. Eventually, it became necessary to settle down in small hamlets in order to increase plant food productivity. Around 1,000 years ago, settlements became dependent on maize., The Wallis Site , Evidence of Native Presence for over 11,000 Years. At Liverpool, along US 11/15, excavations at the Wallis Site have made a significant contribution to our understanding of Native American life. Before the Susquehanna Trail could be widened in the late 1990s, State and Federal laws required exploration of possible archaeological sites. The dig began in 1998, concluding the next year., On a narrow strip of floodplain, three feet to seven feet of soil had accumulated since the Paleoindian Period, 11,000 years ago. Here, people camped by the river, using stone knives, spear points, scrapers, and other foods., The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation prepared a public report, The Wallis Site; the Archaeology of a Susquehanna River Floodplain at Liverpool, Pennsylvania, documenting this site as one of the oldest and most important in Pennsylvania. The artifacts are in The State Museum of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the site is under US 11/15., [Captions:] , Stone tools: 1,2,3,4,10,11,12,15: Spear points; 8,9: Arrow Points (Triangles); 5: Large spear point, possibly ceremonial; 6,13,16: Drills; 7,17: Knives; 14: Atlatl weight (Bannerstone). Artifacts from the Historical Society of Perry County collection., A Crowfield fluted projectile point in chert from the Wallis Site dating to the Paleoindian period of about 10,200 years ago., Examining excavations at the Wallis Site, 1999. Used by permission of KCI Technologies, investigators of the site near Liverpool, Perry County, Pennsylvania.