029-5411

Taft Archaeological Site

VLR Listing Date

06/16/2004

NRHP Listing Date

08/11/2004

NRHP Reference Number

NA

The Taft Archaeological Site at Mason Neck in southeastern Fairfax County is a multi-component, stratified, upland, prehistoric, and possibly proto-historic Native American camp dating between about 2000 B.C. and A.D. 1560. Located on a Coastal Plain plateau “finger” on the south side of the confluence of the tidal Kanes Creek Estuary and Belmont Bay on Mason Neck, the site contains a midden atop the plateau with eroded features and artifact material exposed on the plateau edges. Included in the midden are mussel and oyster shell piles and pits, hearths, and individual pottery clusters. The site can address important archaeological issues related to the evolution of small base camps from pre-agricultural (Popes Creek) to transitional (Mockley) to agricultural (Potomac Creek) sites. The Taft Archaeological Site contains well-preserved archaeological deposits that can provide information about lifeways during the Middle and Late Woodland periods, as well as the evolution of climate-induced adaptation in the upper Potomac Estuary.

Last Updated: June 2, 2023

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Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark

For additional information Read

Nomination Form

029-0012

Drover’s Rest

Fairfax (County)

029-6069

Mount Vernon Enterprise Lodge #3488/Pride of Fairfax County Lodge #298

Fairfax (County)

029-6641

Bois Doré

Fairfax (County)