An Archaeological Survey of the Huntington Lake Shoreline

An archaeological survey of the shoreline of Huntington Lake's seasonal pool was conducted under a contract with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, by the Archaeological Resources Management Service, Ball State University. The goals of the project were to identify the archaeological resources within the project area, determine the impact of Huntington Lake on those resources and to make recommendations for future investigation of the resources. The survey identified 109 sites reflecting occupation and utilization of the project area from the Late Paleo-Indian through the historic periods. The identifiable prehistoric components suggest that the heaviest utilization of the project area occurred during the Middle to Late Archaic and the Late Woodland periods. Historic components most often reflected dumping activities although late nineteenth and twentieth century residences, lime kilns, and a mill were located. The impact of Huntington Lake on the archaeological resources of the project area include both erosion caused by fluctuations in the lake's pool level and artifact hunting by local collectors and others making use of the surrounding recreation areas. Recommendations were made for testing at 23 sites which may still contain deposits which are not completely disturbed.