Prehistory is the term used to describe the time periods and cultures that existed before the advent of writing and the written record. In many cases, all that we know about these ancient predecessors is what can be gleamed from the material evidence left behind in the archaeological record.
Little is known about the prehistoric people who inhabited the Monongahela and Upper Ohio valleys over the last 10 to 15 thousand years; few artifacts remain, and lot of guess work is involved in putting together the limited pieces of a very large puzzle. As the annals of time progress, an interesting culture appears in the archaeological record about a thousand years ago.
The Monongahela Culture is believed to have originated in the Upper Ohio and Monongahela River valleys in the early 11th Century, roughly about the same time as the Norman Conquest of England. The Monongahela Culture is just beyond the reach of recorded history, with a few sporadic references in early accounts that may be referring to them; these accounts cannot be definitively proved.
Most of these early written accounts by early explorers and Jesuit missionaries in the late 16th and very early 17th centuries date to the last phases of the Monongahela Culture’s time in southwestern Pennsylvania. They are vague in their references, leaving us with little concrete data to work from but giving us enough clues that we can relate them to other cultures in the greater region such as the Susquehannocks from eastern Pennsylvania and the Iroquois Nation to the north in New York.
With these vague glimpses and the existing archaeological evidence, we get a good idea of what life was like for these people who lived here so very long ago. Works Progress Administration digs and excavations during and after the Great Depression have probably given us our best look into the lives of these mysterious people.
Frank B. Jones and Paul R. “Prexy” Stewart, both founding members of the Greene County Historical Society, led the charge on the WPA digs in Greene County in the 1930s. Their work was thorough and well documented, and the Greene County Historical Society Museum retains the bulk of their work. This collection played an important role in the early research into the Monongahela Culture.
It has been established that the Monongahela Culture represents the first wave of true agriculturists in this region; the Adena Culture that preceded them were the first to begin domesticating plants, but the Monongahela had expanded on these developments and practices to the point where they were able to permanently settle in villages, and were no longer nomadic people in search of food sources. In the middle and late 11th century, the first indications of permanent settlement come in the form of open circular villages, with houses surrounding a central plaza, or open area, that would have most likely been used for community and religious functions. These earliest villages, such as the one discovered in the 1960s by the Fisher family on their farm near Enlow Fork of Wheeling Creek in Richhill Township, were often found in low bottoms near a convenient water source and show no signs of defensive structures like walls or palisades.
The lack of defensive structures shows that there was little threat from other groups during this early phase of the Monongahela Culture; however, by the late 12th and early 13th centuries these villages moved from bottom land to easily defensible upland sites, and palisade walls became common place. Serving as homes for extended family groups, each Monongahela Village could have supported as many as one hundred people, all depending on the resources made available by the surrounding land. As populations expanded and settlements became denser, the need for natural resources grew, and populations needed to protect and defend their resources and supplies. When resources became exhausted or were limited by drought or other factors, conflicts would arise.
This is evident in some of Frank B. Jones work and notes. In 1936, he excavated a ridge top village site in Jefferson Township, likely dating to the 15th or early 16th century. In many ways, it was a typical Monongahela Village site, containing the normal houses, rubbish pits and graves but it did have one unusual feature.
A set of adult male remains were discovered showing extreme signs of violence. The individual was buried laying on his back, with human teeth scattered over his remains; the head and legs had been removed and an antler spear point was found lodged in the pelvis. Approximately ten feet away in a smaller pit, the burned remains of a human skull were discovered. Nearly ninety years after the discovery, the only information is a few photos and Mr. Jones notes and records, but this individual certainly has a story to tell. Was he a warrior who fell defending his family and his village, the victim of an attack, or did something else lead to his violent death? We may never know.
Archaeological methods have changed dramatically since Frank Jones and Prexy Stewart worked in and around the county learning about this region’s prehistory in the 1930s. Current methods are less intrusive, and there is considerably more sensitivity to the people who once lived in these early cultures and their descendants. Methods using ground penetrating radar, magnetometry, lidar and other techniques can now give us a great deal of information.
If you have an interest in archaeology and learning about the people who came before us there are many places to start. If you’re looking for a more hands-off learning experience, visit the Greene County Historical Society Museum to see their extensive archaeological collection. If you are interested in a hands-on archaeological experience, check out the Mon-Yough Chapter of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology.
The Mon-Yough Chapter works all throughout southwestern Pennsylvania, specifically in Greene, Washington and Fayette counties and is currently working on an excavation at the Abel Colley Tavern, now the site of the Fayette County Historical Society. No experience or education is required to volunteer to help the Mon-Yough in their work – all you need is a passion for our past! FMI, visit the Mon-Yough website at https://myarcheology.org/ or on Facebook under Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology – Mon/Yough Chapter 3. The Mon-Yough Chapter 3 is based out of the campus at California University and holds monthly meetings on the third Thursday of each month. All are invited to attend.
The history of Greene County didn’t begin on February 9, 1796 when the county was established, nor did in begin in the early 1760s when the first European families settled on this side of the Monongahela River. This has been a busy and populated area for thousands of years, long before Europeans discovered this continent. Check out the Mon-Yough Chapter 3 of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology and perhaps you can help discover more of our amazing history.