Alachua

The Alachua point is one of four Archaic Stemmed points identified and named by Bullen and Dolan (1959). The type was named for a Alachua County, Florida; however, the Johnson Lakes site where it was named is located just south of Alachua County in Marion County, Florida.

The Alachua is a medium-sized point measuring from 2 to 4 1/2 inches in length. The blade is formed by random percussion flaking with pressure flaking along the blade edges. The cross-section is thick and bi- convex. Blade edges are excurvate and meet at an acute distal end. The shoulders are broad and angular and meet the stem at right angles. This stem is “parallel-sided” or straight as described by Bullen and Dolan. The basal edge of the stem is flat.

The Alachua is the rarest form of the Archaic Stemed family of points. It’s recovery at the Johnson Lake site at the same level as Levy points gives it a Middle to Late Archaic context. Documented recoveries of the Alachua type are very scarce. Only three examples at the Johnson Lake site were classified as Alachua points. Given their rarity, Alachua points may be fairly localized in the Marion and Alachua County, Florida area.