Archaeology in Newfoundland and Labrador 1997
Edited by K. Nelmes
Investigation at the St. Anthony Bight Site (EiAV-1), August 1997
David Reader
In late August, 1997, a local resident of the community of St. Anthony Bight on the northeastern tip of the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland found a dense concentration of bone which he and the RCMP first believed to be of human origin. Subsequent identification of the bone showed that it was seal, and the Culture and Heritage Division, St. John’s, requested that the author briefly investigate the location for archaeological site remains. The author and one assistant visited the site location and met with the man on whose property the site was located, on 31 August, 1997.
The site is specifically located about 15-20 metres back from the shoreline, on a low, relatively flat area of land which is at the base of a gradually rising slope leading up to the main part of the community. The site is bordered by a large area of gravel fill, up to 2-3 metres high to the west, and small fishing stages to the east. The owner said the immediate area had been filled with gravel in the recent past in addition to previous sub-surface disturbance by heavy machinery.
We stayed at the site for approximately an hour, examining soil profiles which resulted from backhoe cuts by the owner. About 28 m of the site had been apparently destroyed by the backhoe digging in the week before our arrival. Estimated intact size of the site is likely in the area of 100-150 m2. Faunal bone –most of it seeming to be seal – and square-headed wrought iron nails, fragments of ceramics, and other pieces of corroded, unidentifiable iron were noticed in situ in a distinct buried cultural deposit. In addition, we cut a controlled perpendicular profile to the backhoe cut, confirming that intact archaeological deposits still existed.
Vertical stratigraphy at the disturbed edge of the site was as follows:
| 0-15 cm DBS | Sod and gravel fill. |
| 15-35 cm | Cultural level; most of the noticed ceramics, kaolin pipe fragments and iron from this level; most of the faunal bone from the very bottom few cm of this level. |
| 35-40 cm | Natural deposition. |
| 40-55 cm | Fine sand, natural deposit. |
| 55 cm | Coarse-grained sand, natural deposit. |
The faunal bone ‘lens’ was situated within the bottom few centimetres of the cultural level and was continuous, yet thin. The underlying shell level definitely appears to have been naturally deposited on top of an underlying active beach, sometime before European occupation at this location. The cultural level itself, at least abutting the edge of the disturbed area, seems to be part of an extensive midden deposit. No subsurface or surface-visible indications of any type of structures were noted. No brick or wood fragments were noted within the exposed areas of the midden deposit.
Faunal bone was not collected in the field. However, we did identify some elements as representing primarily seal species, in addition to fish vertebrae, and possible bovine and carnivore incisors. A small number of wrought iron nails and ceramic fragments were collected and are currently in storage at the Bird Cove Interpretation Centre, where the author was conducting other archaeological work at the time of the St. Anthony Bight site call. However, a brief examination of the ceramic fragments collected suggests at least a possible eighteenth century French occupation at this location, based on the presence of what appear to be a few small French faience ceramic fragments. To be positive of the site’s cultural affiliation(s), a more thorough investigation is recommended to expose as yet undisturbed portions of the site.
The owner did say that he had plans to use his backhoe to dig up additional areas, which appear to contain undisturbed areas of this archaeological site.