Bradford

The Bradford point was first reported and illustrated by Ripley P. Bullen (1975). The type was named for Bradford County, Florida, however Bullen cites an example illustrated by Goggin (1952) from the southern shore of Lake Kerr in Marion County, Florida.

The Bradford is a medium-sized point measuring 1.52 to 2.75 inches in length. The blade is formed through random flaking with pressure flaking along the excurvate edges that meet at an acute distal and. The shoulders are weak and meet the stem with a wide sweeping curve. The stem is expanding with rounded basal corners. The basal edge is excurvate and generally narrower than the maximum blade width.

Bullen suggested a temporal placement ranging from A.D. 100 TO 1000 for the Bradford type. Recoveries have been documented from the Deptford component of the Queens Mound (8DU 110) dating between 500 B.C. to A.D. 100. The Dent Mound (8 DU 68) that had a strong Swift Creek association between A.D. 260 and 590, contained examples of Bradford points. John Goggin’s recovery at the Lake Kerr site demonstrates the endurance of the type into the St. Johns II period.  The wide distribution of the Bradford point is demonstrated by its presence in a Weeden Island and Safety Harbor association at the Rattlesnake Shell Midden site (8HI 981) that dated between A.D. 500 and the mid-Safety Harbor period.