A Comparative Spatial Analysis of Two Communities from the Hickory Ground Site in Wetumpka, Alabama

Abstract

This thesis presents analyses on the intra-site spatial arrangement of two communities from the Hickory Ground site, 1EE89, in Elmore County, Alabama. Spatially referenced archaeological datasets of a Protohistoric community and a Historic Creek community are compared to investigate how the adaptive actions of community members structured the spatial patterning of the town. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and field maps taken during the 2002-2007 archaeological excavations of the Hickory Ground site, I present an 18 acre map with over 9,000 features. Statistical tests suggest Protohistoric structures are randomly nucleated around the community center, and Historic Creek structures are clustered into groups scattered away from the community center. The research presented here utilizes the archaeological community as the fundamental unit of analysis to evaluate social meaning from spatial attributes and contributes to a wider understanding of the cultural changes encountered by Native Americans during the Historic Period.