Ye Pleasant Mount: 1989 1990 Excavations - Open site which ...

documented period (1735 to 1757) when the site was settled by Yuchi, traders, and
rangers. The artifacts that were discarded at Trader Point probably represent the debris of
all of three groups.
The upper, or more recent, zone contained a greater diversity of European artifacts than
did the lower zone. The upper zone had nails, knives, goblets, gunflints, lead shot, gun
parts, glass beads, wine bottles, metal buttons, pewter spoons, European pottery, and
Chinese porcelain. The upper zone contained a higher percentage of domesticated animal
bones compared to wild animal species (see Appendices II & III). There also was a
considerable amount ofIndian pottery in the upper zone. Most of the artifacts in the upper
zone probably are associated with the ranger garrison, although it also may contain debris
left by the Indian traders and Indians. The commander of the fon, Thomas Wiggin, was
himself an Indian trader, and it is likely that others among the rangers also were traders.
Since the English were on friendly terms with the Yuchi, it is not unlikely that Indians
provided the British with wild foods and meals prepared in Indian vessels.
The lower zone contained more tobacco pipe fragments, Indian pottery, and glass tools
than the upper zone. There was more reliance on wild animals than domestic species in the
lower levels (see Appendices II & III). Peach pits and hickory nuts also were found only
in the lower levels. Most of the artifacts in the lower zone probably are associated with the
Yuchi and British trader's occupations. The association of Indian pottery, tobacco pipes,
and wine bottle glass observed in the lower zone more closely conforms to that observed
across the Indian village.
Artifact Pattern Analysis
The artifacts recovered from Trader Point were grouped into analytical categories
following methods established by South (1977). The only deviation between our analysis
and South's is the inclusion of Indian pottery in the Kitchen category. The Trader Point
data form a pattern unique to the site which can then be compared with other sites. A
breakdown by level ofthe pattern analysis is presented in Table 15. Kitchen artifacts range
from 35 to 62 percent and averaged 43.5 percent in the midden. Architecture ranges from
12 to 41 percent, and avefJiged 29.8 percent. Tobacco ranged from 12 to 21 percent, and
averaged 16.3 percent of the midden artifacts. All other categories including Clothing
(2.6%), Arms (3.6%), Personal (0.3%), and Activities (4.1 %) averaged less than five
percent of the total. No artifacts from the Furniture group were found at Mount Pleasant.
Some vertical differences in the pattern ofdiscard are evident. Architectural debris is the
dominant type found in Level 1 (41 %), but in all subsequent levels it is exceeded by the
Kitchen group.
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