Between Two Sources: Interpretations of the Dolly Copp and Dolly Copp II Sites in Randolph, New Hampshire

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

During the 2023 field season, Heritage Consultants, LLC conducted Phase IB and II survey excavations at the Dolly Copp and Dolly Copp II sites, located above the Moose River in the White Mountains in Randolph, New Hampshire. Lithic artifacts recovered from both locations included large preforms, unifacial tools, wedges, overshot flakes, and channel flakes, suggesting both sites date to the Paleoindian era. An intact hearth feature dating to the early Holocene identified at the Dolly Copp II site further corroborated this conclusion. This region of the White Mountains contains several Paleoindian sites, however most are located on elevated terraces and high lookout areas above the river valley. These newly identified sites stand out from previous locales as concentrated and isolated deposits within the river valley, and display significant exploitation of local rhyolite sources from nearby Jefferson and Mount Jasper. Both sites fit within previously predicted settlement patterns of Paleoindians within the Israel and Moose River Corridor, and fall in ideal locations for campsites to manufacture and maintain tools while hunting within the valley. The excavations also highlight the success of maintaining positive long-term client relationships in CRM, through which additional survey of the Dolly Copp site was supported.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53443