Excavating A Lost Horizon

Buried more than six feet beneath the shores of the Susquehanna River—just a stone’s throw from the town of Liverpool, PA—is a window on a world carefully preserved for more than 11,000 years. KCI archaeologists have scraped away several natural layers of earth, known as soil horizons, to reveal artifacts and an extraordinary sequence of cultural events, dating back to the ice age.

As part of the widening of U.S. Route 11/15 from a two- to five-lane highway, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), District 8, commissioned KCI’s Cultural Resources Unit to conduct a Phase III archaeological investigation of five prehistoric sites, adjacent to the existing roadway, in Perry and Juniata counties. The properties are all eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and subject to protection under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

According to KCI Task Manager Dave Bibler, “The density of artifacts has surprised everyone. It’s very exciting. Since we started excavating in June, we’ve collected and logged more than 350,000 pieces—nearly 240,000 from the largest site, alone. Along the way, we found projectile or spear points and associated tools…even the remains of a horse with a broken leg that had been put down with a musket. We found the bullet, too.” Dave continued, “Based on the depth of the paleoindian components near bedrock, we can paint a picture of a very different world 11,000 years ago—rocky; not many trees; braided streams; colder, much like parts of Canada, with roaming caribou and moose. The people were hunters and gatherers, trying to stay alive in a periglacial environment.” The “stratified” site is one of only two recorded within the Commonwealth, in which the paleoindian components have been preserved and undisturbed by later cultures.

Kurt W. Carr, of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, is working with KCI to ensure that the sites are fully explored, before highway construction begins. “This valley has provided a means of transportation for more than 10,000 years. Our investigations here will prove important to both science and history.”

Dr. Frank Vento, a professor at Clarion University of Pennsylvania and project geomorphologist, agrees. “People have argued for years that such ‘windows to the past’ did not exist. But we’re proving otherwise.”

KCI’s effort is being funded by two supplements to the original engineering design contract for the highway widening project, managed by Douglas H. Warfel, PE. The design team submitted final plans in September. Upon completion of the archaeological investigation, KCI will prepare a report and create a public involvement program to educate area residents about their cultural heritage.


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