Did the approximately 3500 year old Poverty Point culture extend into South Texas?

Sounds unlikely considering that the Poverty Point site, famous for it’s extensive early earthworks, is over 450 miles away in northeastern Louisiana in West Carroll Parish. While I understand your skepticism, please allow me to continue.

All of the artifacts shown here are part of a single collection found at Sargent Beach in Matagorda county by Bob Perry. Prior to construction of a granite revetment wall, the shoreline at Sargent beach was receding at an alarming rate. Severe erosion was washing away an average of 33 feet per year and most of the beach was hard clay instead of sand. This erosion uncovered many thousands of years worth of history. Many artifacts also were washed up from ancient campsites that have been covered by continually rising sea levels following the last Ice Age. Indeed many paleo artifacts are present in this and other collections from the area.

Over a period of several years Mr. Perry salvaged the artifacts pictured below from the Gulf of Mexico surf in Matagorda county, along with numerous other artifacts. Surprisingly his collection includes several diagnostic Poverty Point projectile types including the Delhi, Pontchartrain, Motley and Epps points.

One of several Delhi type projectile points from this Matagorda county collection.

Gary type projectile points, which are not as common here as in East Texas & Louisiana, are numerous in this beach collection.

Many Poverty Point related Motley or Epps projectile points are represented in Bob Perry's collection.
Notice how this point was smoothed by the rolling waves.

Several Pontchartrain type projectile points, which were first thought to be stemmed Central Texas types, are also present in this collection.

While the recognized Poverty Point area of influence might seem too far away to have had much impact along the middle Texas coast here is a convincing rare drilled Poverty Point Bead that is part of this Sargent Beach collection. Made of an Orange multi-colored Jasper, this intricately made Animal Effigy bead is drilled lengthwise. I am calling it a bead in respect to the similar beads that were reported in April 2001 by Peter Bostrom of Lithic Casting Lab found in Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana. Bostrom reports that the Poverty Point culture developed a tradition of making high quality stylized carved and polished miniature stone beads. There is one most strikingly similar artifact from Arkansas reported by Bostrom called a dog effigy, also made of orange jasper. Despite the distinct similarities, I continue to call the Sargent beach bead a Bear effigy, as that is the conclusion of the finder.

"Little Bear" a drilled Stone Bead of a manufacture that is diagnostic of the Poverty Point culture.

Personally, I am not sure we can say what the use of these types of object was. They certainly may have been decorative beads as suggested in previous reports or they may have had a utilitarian use such as holding a pipe stem. The one thing I am convinced of is that they originate from the same culture, that being the Poverty Point people. When taken into account along with the many Poverty Point diagnostic projectile points found in this same area it is easy to postulate a significant Poverty Point culture existed here on the middle Texas coast. More evidence of a Texas coastal based Poverty Point culture is provided by the occurrence of the same Poverty point projectile types found under similar circumstances at McFadden Beach (41JF50), somewhat closer to Louisiana, being approximately 100 miles northeast of Sargent.

Click here for "MORE LITTLE BEAR PHOTOS"

NEW - Added 12/2006 - Mike Price's Study "Replicating "LITTLE BEAR" the Poverty Point stone bead!"

I wish to thank my friend Bob Perry for allowing me to photograph and record his collection and for his many dedicated miles of walking the beach that saved these artifacts for study. They provide a rare insight into an otherwise invisible past.

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References Cited:

Peter Bostrom
"PREHISTORIC BEADS"

Center for the Study of the First Americans
"CURRENT RESEARCH IN THE PLEISTOCENE 9:20-22 (1992)"

Turner & Hester
“FIELD GUIDE TO STONE ARTIFACTS OF THE TEXAS INDIANS”

Mr. Bob Perry
Personal communications

Dr. Thomas Hester
Personal communications

Mr. Mike Walker
Personal communications

Photos & Text (c) David Crain / Texasarrowheads.com

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