Cave Spring

Lloyd Schroder collection

The Cave Spring is a small to medium sized, bifurcated point with an expanded stem. Seven examples from Strata II and III of the Cave Spring type site measured an average 40 mm in length. The cross-section and usually bi-convex but may be plano-convex or rarely median ridged. Shoulders are usually tapered but may be barbed or rarely horizontal. Blade edges are nearly always straight, rarely excavate. The distal end is usually acute; rarely broad. The hafting area consists of an expanded stem that is shallowly bifurcated. Stem width usually exceeds the stem length. Broad, shallow, random flaking is in evidence on the stem and blade. Collateral flaking was used to finish the blades of most examples. Find retouch is present along most blade edges. Long shallow flakes were removed to thin the base in the basal concavity. One example from level V, Stratum II, of the Cave Springs site had diagonal flakes struck from the base in the same tradition as Decatur points. One large flake was struck from each side of each face of the stem forming a shallow notch where the stem joins the blade. These notches and all other stem edges are usually ground. All examples were made from local materials and all were painated.

The type was named after the Cave Springs site in Morgan County, Alabama, where examples were recognized during excavation. Except for the bifurcated stem, some examples are similar to some of the Jude points recovered in this excavation. Some of the blades of Cave Springs points are similar to blades of some Big Sandy points recovered at this site. The provenience and association at this site strongly suggest a late transitional Paleozoic Indian affiliation as well as Early Archaic. One example came from the Big Sandy site in Tennessee and a second example was recovered from the Packard site in Mayes County, Oklahoma.

Information for this article was derived from James W. Cambron and David C. Hulse, Handbook of Alabama Archaeology, Alabama Archaeological Society