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The Mustache Simpson blade is an extremely rare blade type reported by John Powell and named for examples recovered by Mr. Jerry Scott from Suwannee County, Florida. The name “mustache” is derived from the exaggerated error tools which resemble a 19th-century gentleman’s handlebar mustache. The reason for attaching the Simpson name is unclear.
The mustache Simpson is a small to medium-size blade measuring from 1.5 to 3 inches in length. The blade is very similar to the beaver Lake point with excavate edges, control pressure flaking and excellent workmanship. The blade narrows at the half thing area but this is where all similarities to any other known type and the Cherokee tools are exaggerated in size and out of proportion with the rest of the blade, curving outward, perpendicular to the blade. Only the Wheeler and quad points of Alabama even approach this configuration. The basal edges are smooth from the half thing area and from a re-curved basal adage.
The presence of smoothing is the only evidence that this type was have to do any type of handler shaft the unusual basal construction has led to much speculation concerning the utilitarian value of the type. Powell suggests that the most likely use may have been a hand dagger, alluding to the basal smoothing as protection to the hands. It may have been a small knife form used in butchering but has not been recovered from a kill site, or it may not be utilitarian at all.
The mustache Simpson is extremely rare with only about 14 known examples in Florida. All recoveries are from a very small area along the Suwannee River in Suwannee County, Florida. Surrounding sites have consistently produced late Paleolithic’s including Simpson, Suwannee and beaver Lake points. The form of the Mustache Simpson is most like that of the Wheeler expanded point of Alabama and may be related to the Wheeler family of points. The chert from which most examples are made is widely distributed along the Swanee River making the source location impossible to detect. These slim threads of evidence suggests a late Paleoindian to early Dalton context.