Miscellaneous Hardware Group

Several miscellaneous hardware items make up this artifact group, including: knives and knife parts, an iron hook, wire fishhooks, horseshoes, a cooper's tool, lead bale seals, and rod/bar fragments. Most numerous in this group were knives and knife parts. Fourteen whole or nearly whole iron case knives were recovered from Burial 1 (see first, second), Burial 2 (see first, second), Burial 3 (see first, second), Burial 5 (see knife), Burial 8 (see knife), Burial 9 (see knife), Burial 11, Burial 13 (see first, second), Feature 45 (see knife), and Feature 59 (see knife). All have bone handles except for the two knives from Burial 3 which appear to have wooden handles. Measurements taken on the more complete knives indicate that blade lengths ranged from 3 to 5 inches (8-12 cm), and blade width ranged from 1/2 to 1-1/4 inches (1.5-3 cm). Handle shape also varied from a rounded end to a beveled apex. Most blade tips were missing. Knife-blade fragments were common throughout the excavation and were found in Burial 1, Burial 3 (see fragments), Feature 12 (see fragment), Feature 17, Feature 59, and the plowzone (n=20). Knife-handle fragments were recovered from Feature 19, Feature 41 (n=3), Feature 51 (n=3), Feature 56 (n=2, see handle), Feature 59, and the plowzone (n=9). Knives were common trade items, typically sold or traded in bulk quantity (France 1985). Brain (1979:153) states that metal knives were the first Euroamerican item to replace a native counterpart (i.e., stone knives).

Two brass wire fishhooks were recovered from undisturbed contexts, one from the upper fill of Burial 1 and the other from the fill of Feature 13. Both fishhooks had tapered tips and flattened tops for attachment. European-made fishhooks appear on trade inventories and were sold by the dozen (France 1985). Another hook, an iron snap hook made to be attached to a leather strap, was recovered from the plowzone.

Excavation of the Structure 5 wall trench produced numerous Euroamerican artifacts including an iron cooper's tool. This tool, similar to a small curve-bladed adze, was used originally to shave the interior of barrel staves. John Lawson, writing in the early eighteenth century, observed that the Tuscarora carved wooden bowls for trade with other Indians, including the Occaneechi (Lefler 1967:64). It is possible that this woodworking tool was used for that purpose.

All other items classified as miscellaneous hardware came from the plowzone and thus cannot be definitely associated with the Occaneechi occupation. These include: an iron horseshoe and three horseshoe fragments, two iron washers, five iron rod or bar fragments, and three lead bale seals.