Stemmed Point

This quartzite Holmes projectile point was made and used by Native Americans during the Late Archaic period (3750 B.C. -1250 B.C.), but was found by archeologists in the earthworks of Fort Foote, one of the Civil War Defenses of Washington. It may seem odd to find a prehistoric artifact in a Civil-War era site, but this location on a bluff overlooking the Potomac River would have been desirable for human habitation throughout history. Archeologists believe that the Holmes point was disturbed from an archaic period context during the construction of the fort.