Oberly Island Site Northampton County, Pennsylvania URS Greiner Woodward Clyde, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration An archeological data recovery at the Oberly Island site was undertaken in conjunction with the proposed construction of the Route 33 bridge over the Lehigh River. Underlying 1.5 meters of coalwash, 221 1x1-meter units revealed stratified cultural deposits in four major soil horizons within approximately 1.5 meters of undisturbed sediments. The earliest occupations of the site were small, and activities centered around the use of cobble chopping tools, locally available Allentown chert, and some Hardyston jasper. Two Early Archaic period Kirk points, one Palmer point, and three small features were recovered from a relatively circumscribed area of the lowest horizon. The overlying stratum produced three Archaic Triangle projectile points. One of the points was associated with a radiocarbon date of 6340±70 B.P., indicating a Middle Archaic association for this portion of the deposit. Increased reliance on locally available jasper in the chipped-stone industry is in evidence, and occupational intensity increased as reflected by a larger and more diverse set of features compared to the lower horizon. Late/Terminal Archaic occupations occurred next in the temporal sequence. These occupations were more intensive, and are represented by characteristic fishtail, broadspear, and large lanceolate stemmed projectile points. Several fragments of steatite vessels were also recovered. This horizon also yielded a number of hearth features and two large “pavements” of fire-cracked rocks which, in conjunction with the presence of numerous stone netsinkers, probably indicate fishing and fish-smoking activities during the spring fish runs. The chipped-stone industry emphasized the use of jasper, followed by chert. Finally, a sizable sample of Overpeck Incised pottery was recovered from the uppermost horizon, indicating a substantial Late Woodland component. Numerous triangular arrow points were recovered from this horizon as well. Throughout the occupations of the site, the chipped-stone assemblage revealed a consistent bifacial industry with shifts in raw material use. The relative percentages of raw materials represented in the projectile-point assemblage are approximately reverse of the waste chippage, by soil horizon. These discrepancies are interpreted to reflect tool-production strategies in conjunction with hunter-gatherer mobility patterns. Overall shifts in raw material selection through time may relate to emergent exchange networks by the Late Archaic period. JMA staff: Robert G. Kingsley, Tod L. Benedict, Juliette J. Gerhardt, Sarah J. Ruch, Robert E. Schultz, Margaret S. Schoettle To Top