Bluemont, VA -- Today marks the next chapter with our Archeologist Jack Hranicky.
     Over the past four years, Dr. Jack volunteered countless hours revealing the Paleo-Indian site we found here in Northern Virginia. He cataloged artifacts, oversaw excavation, measured azimuths, authored abstracts, and conducted reports.
      After each discovery, one of our favorite quotes from Dr. Jack was, “Well, we did it again folks.”
      Because of Dr. Jack’s sense of curiosity, 40-year career and eagerness to do the right thing, we now have a date of 10,470 years old, for the artifacts we excavated a couple of years ago.
     This morning we enjoyed our last country breakfast together with Dr. Jack. Our local Pine Grove Restaurant serves Jack’s favorite soft beacon and decaf coffee. There was no time for him to get his usual lunch burger and fries at our local Horseshoe Restaurant.
      After finalizing his report with us, for the Spout-Run Paleo-Indian site, before we knew it, Dr. Jack was quickly off to his next discovery.

     Today, Dr. Jack shared that he hopes to retire to Clarke County with his lovely wife Julie. He said he feels a real connection to a gentler way of life here and Clarke County is a nice place to call home.
     Dr. Jack is 73 years old and shared that he has no plans to stop discovering.
     Dr. Jack’s relentless contributions changed the landscape of our community’s history and our family’s lives. Thank you Dr. Jack. We and our community are forever in his debt.

      Spout-Run Paleo-Indian site owners are announcing dating results at the Bluemont Community Center on May 7 at 7:00 pm. The event is open to the public.
     The Bluemont Citizens Association invited the site owners to present findings to everyone who is interested in attending. The community center is a white building on the right side of Snickersville Turnpike and the largest building in the village of Bluemont in Northern Virginia. The address is 33846 Snickersville Turnpike, Bluemont, VA 20135.
      “We are briefing that this is the oldest extant above ground human structure in the United States,” said Chris White site owner. “We believe the rarity of this find deserves serious attention, so we are unveiling our Archeologist and Anthropologist dating results to you.

• We are seeking people knowledgeable in pre-history preservation and restoration.
• We also welcome those who wish to honor and respect our vision.
• And we wish to thank those who have encouraged and supported us during these past four years of research.”

     In his report, the Archeologist calls this “Spout-Run Paleoindian Complex,” “the oldest extant, above-ground, human-constructed structures in North America,”  “constructed by Virginia’s First Engineers,” and “twice as old as Stonehenge.”

     The find is in Bluemont, which crosses into both Loudoun and Clarke Counties, from the Shenandoah River up the mountain to Bears Den.  
     “Opportunity has risen to preserve this sacred site, now and for our children, and future generations,” White said. “We appreciate your partnership and contributions toward uncovering the possibilities of this find, and the secrets that are yet to be revealed.”
    “If this unique site goes unprotected, or gets destroyed, we will never know the importance of its meaning. Any view into the past, is a learning and educational tool for the future. Once this is gone, it is gone, and there is no other to draw a resource from,” he added.
      Historically, the initial stories about the Paleoindian site were translated into multiple languages around the globe. The Bluemont community can expect international interest here again with the new results of this find.

The Spout Run paleosite (44CK151) in Clarke County, Virginia is the oldest, extent, above-ground site in North American. Due to its location in some of the harshest ground in northern Virginia, this site has laid open on the ground just like the Paleoindians left it 12,000 years ago. It served them in a number of ways, such as a calendar for the annual seasons, a place where they held social and religious ceremonies, and a place from which they could control the flintknapping activities at the famous Thunderbird paleosite in Warren County, Virginia. The Paleoindians were making stone tools out of jasper, a favorite stone. This stone is found in the upper Shenandoah River valley.

The principal archaeological investigator is Wm Jack Hranicky RPA, who has been practicing archaeology for over 40 years in Virginia. He is the Director of the Virginia Rockart Survey. He has found, recorded, and published five prehistoric solstice sites in the Middle Atlantic area. The Spout Run’s landowner, Chris White, of Native American decent, brought the site to Hranicky’s attention who immediately recognized it as a possible solstice site. With a small excavation, they established the site as Paleoindian Period.

The excavation discovered two jasper tools and fire-cracked rocks, indicating a hearth. No other artifacts have been found on the site. Only one 5x5 ft square was excavated which left 95% of the site for the future.

Spout Run has direct alignments with both solar solstices, and the site is aligned physically east-to-west with the equinoxes. It has 15 above-ground component areas which have been found so far. The main site is composed of stone concentric rings and solar markers. This area has stone pointers which directly aim at the summer and winter solstices and the equinoxes. Another major feature is a stone altar which is aligned with the summer solstice.

By using the morning sun’s position on the horizon of Blue Ridge Mountain, the Paleoindians could determine the end of the summer after which they left the area and returned to the coastal plain where winters were much more comfortable. Additionally, jasper is difficult to flake into tools when it is below 40 degrees.

One rock pointer was tested for a lunar orientation for the last full moon before the winter solstice. Other lunar markers probably exist, but presently they have not been discovered.

A shelter was discovered in the site’s upland area that contains Indian rockart: two hand glyphs and a geometric print. Near the top of the Blue Ridge Mountain, there is a large boulder with two incised hand impressions There are now 16 known rockart sites in Virginia. Two other rockart sites in Virginia contain concentric rings, altar, and hand glyphs.

The Spout Run site will make a major contribution to our understanding of the paleotimes along the entire Atlantic coast. The Paleoindians are often equated with Mammoth hunting; they needed and made stone tools to hunt them. The upper Shenandoah River valley’s jasper provided the stone for these hunting tools.

By Before It's News

That slight crispness to the air that signifies the change in seasons is now being backed up by the sun. Today is the second time of year that the sun rises due east and sets due west, traversing the sky directly over the equator. The axis of Mother Earth is straight rather than tilted in relation to the sun’s rays. In other words, it’s fall.

Night and day are almost the same length on this day, though not quite, as Space.com explains.

The autumnal equinox, as it’s officially named, signifies, for the most part, the end of those long, lazy, hot summer days. With this year being one of the hottest summers on record in the United States, it may be a relief to see these sweltering days pass.

This day also signifies the beginning of the harvest season, when gourds, apples and other ripe nuggets that have been nourished by Mother Earth’s soil all summer are ready to eat. That does not hold for those places south of the equator, of course. For them it’s the first day of spring.

Spout Run Site owner Chris White stands on two petroglyphs that he and local archeologist Jack Hanricky discovered on September 19, 2012. The equinox sun forms a halo over his head. (Photo: René White via Clarke Daily News)

Because of the important nature of today’s change in season, sacred sites abound built by American Indians, Canadian Aboriginals and Indigenous Peoples worldwide. A recent discovery of just such a site has been unearthed in Virginia, the 12,000-year-old Spout Run Paleoindian site in Clarke County.

The site features three concentric rings that align with the equinox sun, according to landowner Chris White. But recently he and local archeologist Jack Hranicky made another equinox-related discovery: a triangular rock formation topped by two footprint-shaped petroglyphs that appear to align with the sunrise, the Clark Daily News reported.

“When stood on, during the equinox, the sun causes a halo effect over the person standing on the prints,” Hranicky told the Clark Daily News. “This is a new major feature.”

He said its 105-degree alignment with the autumnal equinox sun as it crosses the Blue Ridge Mountains make the 12,000-year-old site’s original inhabitants “Virginia’s first engineers,” the newspaper said.

White made his discovery in 2009 after purchasing the land and starting to build on it, he told the Clark Daily News.

The ancients used the sky and the seasons’ changes as both clock and calendar, EarthSky.org points out. This year’s fall equinox comes with a bonus: It’s also the month’s first quarter-moon, EarthSky.org says. Celebrate both, and let the season begin!

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The University of Washington State has agreed to use the Thermoluminescence (TL) method to help date heat-treated jasper found during the 2011 excavation. The TL technique has a range of 1,000 to 500,000 years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey web site. The team is also in the process of registering the Spout Run Site as a state-recognized prehistoric site with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and as a National Historic Landmark with the U.S. Department of Interior.

White said he is continuing plans to preserve the site for future generations and welcomes partners who wish to do the same. The team has been studying the PaleoIndian site for three years now.

Autumnal Equinox

On Sept. 22, during the Autumnal Equinox, the sun will be perpendicular (directly above) the equator. Viewers along the east coast will see the sun rise at a 90 degree in direct line-of-site to the east. In comparison, the site does not have direct line-of-site to the east coast because of the mountain so the sun has to rise higher and at an approximate 105 degree angle as it makes its way over the mountain to be seen at the Paleo-site here.

The Equinox is a precise moment in time which is common to all observers on Earth. Twice a year, in September and March, day and night become equal. There are only two Equinoxes only two days during the year, in September and March. The length of the day and night are approximately 12 hours a part, giving 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness at all points on the earth’s surface. The word Equinox comes from the Latin language “equi” meaning “equal” and “nox” meaning “night,” thus “equal nights.”

Most people recognize the September Equinox as the beginning of fall or autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. Others believe the Fall Equinox marks the mid-point between Autumn (which begins in August and ends in October). Seasons are opposite on either side of the equator during the Equinox. Many cultures and religions celebrate holidays or observe festivals around the September Equinox.

The triangular lead stone with foot-type markings outlined in chalk.

The Fall Equinox day of transition shows up on Mayan, Judaism, Buddhist, Druid, ancient Irish, Native American Indian calendars and more. René White (White Feather) is a resident of Clarke County, Bluemont, Virginia and owns the property described above.

By René White (White Feather) is a resident of Clarke County, Virginia and owns the property described in this story

By Chris and René White
Clarke Daily News

The purpose of this letter is not to advocate for or against the preservation of the Cool Spring Battlefield.

Although, it is admirable and significant to dedicate parks, erect monuments to recognize our ancestors and preserve such treasures for future understanding; the Battle of Cool Spring was an important battle in American Civil War (fought July 17–18, 1864) and an important part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864.

But rather, we write to you as a possibility to initiate a conversation on preservation of an older Clarke County Virginia land-legacy – that of Native Americans.

There has been much debate about the cost versus value of preserving the history of a Civil War battle that took place on both sides of the river in 1864. While the Civil War is an important part of American history, the Virginia National Golf Course may hold another much older record of our national past. Native American artifacts dating back over 10,000 years have already been recovered from the Holy Cross Abbey directly across the river from the golf course.

We have a hint of artifacts at the Holy Cross Abbey. What possibly could lie unearthed directly across the river at the golf course; being that it has the natural advantage of flat vistas on each side of the river?

There are private collectors who have unearthed many artifacts in this county. Our Archaeologist reports that our Spout Run PaleoIndian site (Virginia Department of Historic Resources site # 44CK151) is the oldest, extant, above-ground site on the North American continent, dating approximately 12,000 years old. We started with rock rings, now we have a 2-mile complex with 15 above-ground features including two sets of right-hand prints and more.

Additionally, pre-historic PaleoIndian collections from the Warren County Thunderbird site are on display at our National Smithsonian Museum. How exciting this could be for Clarke County?

What a county! What a state! What a national and humanity treasure!

Let us not look at our history through the eyes of guilt for the mistakes and shortcomings that may have been made. Instead, let us view our history for the possibilities of the future we can create.

Clarke County land and legacy is richly dotted with a far more extensive history than the Civil War battle, mortar shells and metal buckles. Clarke County holds rich remains of a native people who lived here continually for thousands of years.

The land is important, the people too. By limiting land preservation efforts to 1864, are we compressing the legacy of our land to 150 years?

Our history books seem to encourage that. They seldom refer to the sophisticated Native American agricultural techniques practiced in Virginia before this state was named. Nor to the managed landscapes and river fish-weirs, where Native American hunting and fishing alternated with community and croplands arranged along waterways. History books seldom note that Native nutrition here was far superior to what was available in Europe before the colonial era. Nor that Native knowledge of astronomy informed farming calendars as well as navigation. Nor highlight Native American’s extensive societal contribution of adding natural plant medicines to the U.S. and modern-world pharmacopoeia. Nor is highlighted their relationship with Creator and life lived in harmony with creation.

Why do we avoid talking about Native peoples’ complex religious and social systems? Or how they created vast trade networks that extended thousands of miles, including up and down the Shenandoah River? Just 15-minutes outside our county border and on the Shenandoah River is one of the best-known PaleoIndian sites on the North America continent – the Thunderbird Flint-Run PaleoIndian jasper quarry.

The historical significance of our natural and cultural resources go back much further than a few hundred years. The people who lived here, the life they lived in Clarke County, was sustainable. What an intriguing culture.

Look no further than across the river from Cool Spring Battlefield to the Cool Spring House at the Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, Va. On display is a chronological collection of Native tools found in Clarke County dating from 9,500 years B.C. old and leading up to a few hundred years ago. These archeological finds are safely enclosed in a glass case, thanks to the late Trappist Brother James Sommers, a lay archaeologist who unearthed the treasures from the abbey’s pastures and river banks.

Look still, to the Clarke County Historical Association Museum and Archives in Berryville where a replica of the “Great Law of Peace” wampum belt is on exhibit. It serves as a reminder of Native contributions to Virginia and our nation. How different would our U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights be if someone had not preserved that?

Given to the Iroquois by the “Great Peacemaker” (Creator), the “Great Law of Peace” formed the Iroquois Confederacy. between 1,000 and 1,450 AD; 326 to 776 years before the framing of the

U.S Constitution. Many Native tribes used it for peace agreements before this country was named “The United States of America.”

In fact, 40 years before the framing of the U.S. Constitution, our nation’s founding father’s (Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams) began drawing much inspiration from articles of the “Great Law of Peace” and the Iroquois Elders. Before the final draft of the Constitution was accepted, history records that the Iroquois Elders counseled the signers and drafters of the Constitution and Bill of Rights on many occasions.

History says, our founding fathers were “bewildered” at how the power of the government comes up from the people, rather than down from a ruler (thus “We the People”). It was a “foreign concept” that individual people had rights, “God given rights.” That is to say, “all people.”

If our leaders understood the depth of these words, “We the People” there would be have been no need for the women’s rights movement of the 1920’s nor civil rights movement of the 1960’s. These are God given rights “given” to “all people.” Do we understand it yet?

We know of this Constitutional contribution because community took the time to preserve the wampum belts. Native ancestors recorded the “Great Law of Peace” through oral tradition and into symbols and pictographs of wampum belts.

Right now, someone reading this may be unaware that a picture of a wampum belt in his/her pocket/wallet. It is printed on the reverse side of the 2010 U.S. one-dollar gold coins.

Remember in 2007, when the Susan B. Anthony coin was running out and Congress authorized a Sacagawea gold dollar? Since its production, the Native American series of coins reflects Native American contributions to agriculture” (2009 version) and the Great Law of Peace, the wampum belt and Native influence to “government” (2010 version).

Today, Native people are still living in Clarke County. Ask your neighbors and friends, and someone will say they can trace their roots to an existing tribe or are curious to whether they have Native ancestry.

Meanwhile, some Clarke County residents are unearthing remnants of this ancient culture. They collect and store their finds the best way they can. In rooms in their homes. In boxes. In closets. Collectively there is enough to support a large gallery.

In the military, we say a phrase for lost Americans, “We Will Never Forget.” Does this exclude Native Americans who lived here before us?

The importance of keeping the Native story alive in Clarke County enriches the history of our county. It allows residents and visitors alike to gain a deeper understanding of our past historical occurrences, both good and bad. We each have our own stories to tell, like trees with new foliage and thousands of years of root systems.

As our conversation continues and we discover a more fuller history, we can fill the silence of our Native American history to offer new perspectives on Clarke County’s past? Who? What? When? Where? How? Why?

“Who cares?” some may say.

Well someone’s children of tomorrow might! Is it being responsible to appreciate land for its collective past? Remembering a people for their contributions. Their sacrifices?

Will our unborn generations care what we leave for them? Or not leave? Could what we do now alter the historic character of our history? Of our present? Of our future? Of our land?

If we do not preserve our history, is it like destroying a book that cannot be re-written? Or hiding a story that cannot be retold?

And what a magnificent opportunity to tell a fuller story and not keep it buried. The lives that were here were sustainable. They lived. They thrived. Isn’t that marvelous?

There is much to be learned from a society that would sustain its society, culture, resources and life – without a need for our modern technology. There is much to learn from the land too. In preserving it. Even if we don’t care right now. Preserving it gives opportunities to future generations to learn from it.

Who knows …? It may be all of our elders and ancestors … yours … mine … theirs … whose courage created this opportunity. Our land. Our legacy. Now. We get to decide what we leave behind.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS.

CHRIS (Comeswithclouds) WHITE is an Elder and Roadman of Native American decent and founder of a Native American Church of Virginia. He also unearthed Clarke County history when he found the oldest, extant, above-ground site in North America literally in his own back yard, according to lead Archaeologist Jack Hranicky. Most recently Chris found petroglyphs or rock engravings on rocks within the Spout-Run complex. Hranicky confirmed the glyphs and has been briefing his findings to several archeological societies across the nation. The team started with rock rings, now they have a 2-mile complex with 15 above-ground features including two sets of right-hand prints. He is married to René White.

RENÉ WHITE (Feather) is a Native American woman and retired military veteran of 22 years serving in the U.S. Air Force. While on active duty, her military accounts covered 11 countries and included homeland defense, natural disasters, cyber, intelligence, media relations, internal information, community relations, recruiting and more. She is an artist, volunteers in the community and says she appreciates being “resourceful, grateful and humble.”

They are both residents of the historic and beautiful northern Shenandoah Valley.

By Edward Leonard
Clarke Daily News

  The site of a possible Paleo-Indian solstice site recently discovered in Clarke County, Virginia gained new interest among members and guests who attended the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Archeological Society of Virginia (NVCASV) during its monthly meeting in January. Lead archaeologist for the site, Jack Hranicky, announced new findings to including what Hranicky believes are stone art carvings located in rocks near the area of the initial discovery.

 “A new major feature is a shelter on the site that contains Indian rockart including A set of geometric ‘glyphs’ and two sets of right-hand prints,” Hranicky briefed the 32 NVCASV members at the Falls Church James Lee Community Center, who attended to hear his results of this three-year investigation into Northern Virginia’s archeology.

“Glyphs” or petroglyphs, are rock engravings created by removing part of a rock surface with carving, picking, incising or abrading. The human hand is one of the most common rockart elements found around the world. Petroglyphs are found worldwide, but few are found in Virginia. There are 17 known rockart sites in Virginia, all recorded by Hrankicy.

Hranicky has two other rockart sites containing concentric rings, altar and hand glyphs. Hranicky believes that the Clarke County Spout-Run complex pre-dates all of his previous discoveries.

Hranicky explained that the Spout-Run “petroglyphs” should not be confused with “pictographs” –  images drawn on rocks. “These petroglyphs were cut out of the stone” Harnicky said.

Hranicky says that further studies would be needed to reveal when, why and by whom the petroglyphs were created.

“We began with rock rings, now we have a 2-mile complex with 15 above-ground features including two sets of hand prints,” reported Hranicky. He went on to describe the early people who roamed the area approximately 12,000 years ago as “Virginia’s first Engineers.”

During his one-hour presentation Hranicky explained the Spout Run site’s defining characteristics including direct alignment with both solar solstices, alignment east-to-west with the seasonal equinoxes, the site’s lunar focus, stone concentric rings and fire hearth as well as the site’s major feature, a stone altar which also aligns with the summer solstice.

When Hranicky announced finding heat-treated jasper near the surface, excitement buzzed through the room. He also revealed finding a bolder set which appears to have stood more than 40-feet tall at one time.

Hranicky told the group that the Spout-Run site served Paleoindians in a number of ways, such as a calendar for the annual seasons and where social and spiritual ceremonies were conducted. Hranicky also said that the location also was used for flint-knapping activities as was the famous Thunderbird Paleosite in nearby Warren County, Virginia.

Spout-Run land owners Chris and René White attended Hranicky’s presentation and received recognition from NVCASV members for their contributions. When asked what he planned to do with the site Chirs White said, “Preserve it for future generations.”

At the conclusion of Hranicky’s presentation, NVCASV Chapter President John Kelsey opened the floor for questions and discussions. Topics ranged from concerns about assigning current cultural meanings to accurately explain paleo-culture; and how the degree of repatination on the rockart may also indicate relative dating.

Hranicky is scheduled to deliver his Spout-Run brief at the Mid-Atlantic Archeological Conference in Virginia Beach, Virginia on March 22-25 and then again for the Society for American Archeology’s 77th annual meeting in Memphis, Tennessee on April 20.

Hranicky plans to publish a final paper on the Spout-Run site before the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Chris and René White, both Native American descendants, aim to return the site back to the way the Paleoindians left it. They and Hranicky are exploring appropriate ways to study the site, such as ground penetrating radar and advanced stone technology. The Whites are also studying the feasibility of establishing a sacred retreat that they have named “Sanctuary on the Trail”, a faith-based neighborhood and community outreach-initiative where spiritual leaders across denominations can meet to create possibilities for communities, churches and tribes on challenges and issues facing them.

Last year, White and Hranicky coined the name Spout-Run for the site after the creek that runs through it. Hranicky has since described the complex as the oldest, extent, above-ground site in North America.

Due to its location in some of the roughest terrain in Northern Virginia, Hranicky said, the Spout-Run site laid open on the ground just as the Paleoindians left it 12,000 years ago. Over the years, while trees have grown and been harvested across some of the site, there is no sign trees grew inside the concentric rings. The complex is remote, isolated and appears relatively undisturbed, other than by climate affects.

After discovering the site in 2009, landowner Chris White brought it to Hranicky’s attention in 2010. Hranicky immediately recognized it as a possible Paleoindian site and with a 5-foot x 5-foot excavation in 2011, Hranicky established the site a Paleoindian.

Later in  2011, Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources added the Spout-Run site to the state’s inventory of archaeological sites.

Hranicky, a resident of the Washington, D.C. area for 51 years, has been practicing archaeology for over 40 years in Virginia and is the director of the Virginia Rockart Survey. He has found, recorded, and published five prehistoric solstice sites in the Mid-Atlantic region and has published 32 books on Native American pre-history.

By Michael Dowling
Clarke Daily News

The Top Ten Most Read Articles of 2011
Ranking #1. Archaeologist Claims 12,000-Year-Old Solstice Site in Clarke County – 8,004 Views. The leading story of 2011 was the discovery of an ancient solstice site in the county. The Clarke Daily News broke the story and archeology sites around the world picked it up boosting readership from places like the UK, Australia, Germany, and France.

As 2011 winds to a close many people find themselves bidding it a welcomed good-bye. The challenging economy and a string of natural disasters including an earthquake, rank the year as an epic low spot for many American’s. However, as we at the Clarke Daily News look back, we see many good things and look expectantly towards what 2012 holds in store.

As we begin our third year publishing the news and events of Clarke County, we see a community that is seriously interested in the well being and welfare of its residents. Volunteer efforts are consistently in the

news and the county always takes a keen interest in the education and welfare of our youth. We see hopeful residents who persistently struggle to prosper and build a better community in a radically different region and economy that has become the “new normal.”

Yet, in spite of all of the challenges that steal people’s time and energy, they still nurture a desire to stay connected with their community. Time constraints and the ever increasing pressure of day to day life often prevent people from being involved in civic and community events. That’s why more and more residents are turning to the Clarke Daily News to stay connected and informed.  Last year 435 thousand visitors read over 1.3 million pages on our site.  That’s a big number for a little county.

So, as we close out the year and look back on the events of 2011 we thought we would share what our readers felt were the most interesting and important stories of the past year. The following list shows the top 10 articles that garnered the most page views. It provides an interesting perspective into not only what Clarke County residents are interested in, but what the outside world sees when they look into Clarke County.