The Archaeology of Colington Island, Page 1

THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF
COLINGTON ISLAND

David Sutton phelps

with appendices

NON-FISH FAUNAL REMAINS
FROM THREE SITES ON COLINGTON ISLAND
Jeannette Runquist

FISH REMAINS FROM THE COLINGTON ISLAND SITES
Camm C. Swift

ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH REPORT NO. 3

Archaeology Laboratory
Departrnent of Sociology and Anthropology
East Carolina University
Greenville, North Carolina

1981

**Students cleaning a square at the White Court site, July, 1972 (Photo by Henry Applewhite).**

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Frontispiece (above)	ii
List of Figures (below)	iv
List of Tables (below)	v
Acknowledgments (below)	vi
Introduction Colington Island Today and in the Past The Archaeological Project	1 1 4
Archaeological Sites on Colington Island Beaseley Site, 31DR12 Eagleton Site, 31DR13 Kitty Hawk Bay Site, 31DR14 Excavations and Stratigraphy The Artifacts Food Remains Site Summary Colleton Lane Site, 31DR34 White Court Site, 31DR33 Excavations and Stratigraphy Features The Artifacts Food Remains Site Summary Rush Point Site, 31DR15 Excavations and Stratigraphy The Artifacts Food Remains Site Summary Stick Site, 31DR16	6 7 9 10 12 17 22 23 25 25 27 28 32 34 36 37 40 41 42 44 46
Settlement and Subsistence on Colington Island: A Summary Locational Factors The Temporal Dimension Intrasite Pattern Subsistence Pattern The Intersite Pattern	47 47 48 49 52 54
Appendix A. Non-fish Faunal Remains from Three Sites on Colington Island	56
Appendix B. Fish Remains from the Colington Island Sites	72
References Cited	80

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**List of Figures**
Number	Figure	Page
Front	Students clearing a square at the White Court Site (above)	ii
1	Colington Island in Coastal North Carolina	2
2	Archaeological site distribution in the Colington Island Locality	8
3	Sites on the north shore of Big Colington Island	11
4	The Kitty Hawk Bay Site, 31DR14	14
5	Stratigraphy at Kitty Hawk Bay	15
6	Ceramics from 31DR14	20
7	Artifacts from 31DR14	21
8	The Colleton Lane and White Court sites	26
9	Eroded bank profiles at White Court	29
10	Stratification at 31DR33, squares A, B, and D	30
11	Feature and profiles, squares E and B	31
12	Artifacts from 31DR33	35
13	Views of the Rush Point and Stick sites	39
14	Rush Point site in 1977	40
15	Ceramics from 31DR15	4 3
16	Season of maximum abundance of some animal groups from 31DR 4	71
17	Season of maximum abundance of some animal groups from 31DR33	71

**List of Tables**
Number	Table	Page
1	Comparative ceramic collections from unexcavated Sites	9
2	Distribution of artifacts at 31DR14	18
3	Distribution of artifacts at 31DR33	32
4	Distribution of artifacts at 31DR15	42
5	Chonology and radiocarbon dates	50
6	Species identified at the Colington Island sites	59
7	Faunal Remains from 31DR14	60
8	Fauna from 31DR14 by habitat	63
9	Usable meat weight and caloric yield from 31DR14	64
10	Faunal Remains from 31DR15	65
11	Fauna fxom 31DR15 by habitat	65
12	Usable meat weight and caloric yield of faunal remains from 31DR15	66
13	Faunal remains from 31DR33	66
14	Fauna from 31DR33 based on habitat	68
15	Usable meat weight and caloric equivalents of faunal remains from 31DR33	68
16	Species represented at the Colington Island sites	70

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In the summer of 1972, the Colington Harbour resort community was in the final stages of development by the American Central Corporation of Lansing, Michigan, and a relatively small number of lots had been sold to private owners. The author is most grateful for the permission granted to survey and excavate the sites controlled by the American Central Corporation, as well as the interest shown in the project by the local personnel of that corporation. The farewell party they hosted for our staff and students at the conclusion of our research was a memorable occasion and ample testimony to their cordial hospitality.

Appreciation is also expressed to the owners of those already developed private lots in the Colington Harbour community, and in other parts of the island, who readily gave permission for access to, and excavation of, their properties. The Colington Harbour community is now controlled by the Colington Harbour landowners association, whose representatives have been most cooperative in granting permission for access to the sites over the years since 1972. Numerous students in East Carolina University and UNC Sea Grant summer courses have thus visited the sites on field trips, and gained valuable experience from their observations.

The Dare County Board of Commissioners kindly permitted us to occupy three buildings of the former Auxiliary Naval Air Station at the Manteo Airport on Roanoke Island, which served as dormitory and laboratory space during the 1972 field school operation. Following our occupancy, that facility was demolished to provide a building site for the present North Carolina Marine Resources Center.

Numerous citizens of Dare County were most cooperative in providing information about sites and area history on Colington Island and elsewhere in the county. Such information is always welcome since it generally enhances the overall understanding of a locality necessary to successful completion of a project such as this.

Henry Applewhite, photographer of Manteo, North Carolina, was responsible for the Frontispiece photograph taken along with many others while he followed our work that summer in conjunction with a publicity assignment.

The line drawings of artifacts in Figure 7 were done by Janice Northcutt, one of the 1972 field school students.

Final analysis and publication of the data from the 1972 Colington Island research was made possible through a Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service survey and planning grant to East Carolina University. The grant was administered through the Archaeology Branch, Division of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.