Mud Creek

The Mud Creek is a medium sized, expanded stem point with excurvate blade and acuminate distal and. Fourteen examples from Limestone County, Alabama measured a maximum of 67 mm; a minimum of 46 mm; and an average of 56 mm in length.

The cross-section is bi-convex. Shoulders are usually tapered but may be horizontal and are sometimes rounded. Blade edges are acute. The distal end is sharply acute or acuminate. The stem is expanded, sometimes only slightly. Side edges are usually straight. The basil edge is usually thinned and straight but maybe excurvate. About half of the examples have ground bases, and several bases retain rind from the parent material.

Broad, shallow, random flaking was used to shape the blade and hafting area. Small, fairly deep flakes were removed in retouching the blade and stem edges. Most stem bases have been thinned, but a few are crudely finished.

The type is named from points found on sites near Mud Creek in Limestone County, Alabama. At Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter, one example each was recovered from levels 1, 2, and 3; two from level 5; one from level 7: and two from level 9. This indicates a Late Archaic to Woodland association at this site. At Flint Creek Rock Shelter, two examples were recovered from the bottom of stratum 1 (Woodland) and 2 from the top of stratum 2 (Archaic). One example appeared in zone A (Early Woodland or Late Archaic) at the Little Bear Creek mound. At Flint River Mound zone a (Woodland) produced one mud Creek point; zone B (lower Woodland), two examples; while the Archaic Zones produced 25 examples, 22 from zone C (upper archaic), one from zone C-D and two from zone B (bottom archaic). This indicates a strongly archaic association at this site. This evidence and surface association suggest a strong late archaic type that existed into Woodland time.

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