The Burnitt Site: A Late Caddoan Occupation in the Uplands of the Sabine River Basin in Louisiana

This report presents the results of archaeological data recovery excavations conducted by Coastal Environments, Inc., at the Burnitt site (16SA204) located in the uplands of northern Sabine Parish, Louisiana. The work was conducted under contract to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development as mitigation for the adverse impact of widening U.S. Highway 171. Test excavations conducted by Gulf Engineers and Consultants in 1994 determined that the site was eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The principal occupation at the site dates to the Late Caddoan period, ca. A.D. 1450-1550, and appears to represent a farmstead or small hamlet. The partial remains of two circular structures about 5.5 m in diameter were encountered. Carbonized plant remains recovered through flotation and waterscreening indicate that corn was cultivated, but wild plants, particularly hickory nuts and acorns, remained important parts of the diet. The principal game species taken was white tailed deer, followed by small mammals, turtles and fish. Immature deer remains suggest that the site was occupied year round. Presently this represents one of the few upland Caddoan sites examined in this portion of the Sabine River Basin.