Point Type: ROSSVILLE
Also See: Lagoon, Morrow Mountain, Ovate, Piscataway, Poplar Island, Stark

Location: Chesapeake Bay Area Northward to Southern New England

Associated Dates: 3300 - 2700 B.P. - Late Archaic - Early Woodland
Morphology: Stemmed

General Description: The Rossville is a medium sized, thick, roughly knapped, lozenge-shaped point with a contracting stem. The blade edges are usually straight to convex with the shoulders being the widest part of the blade. The shoulders are either rounded or pointed but not barbed with a few specimens having definite right angle shoulders. The stem contracts to a rounded or pointed base and can have a concave edge outline. Overall, the point is diamond shaped and can be asymmetrical.

The size range for the Rossville point is in the 32 mm through 64 mm range with typical average length being between 44 mm and 51 mm. The average maximum thickness is 8 mm.

The Rossville was usually made from siltstone ,   argillite, quartz, felsite , flint, argillaceous shale and chert .

The Rossville point type was named by Alanson Skinner for specimens that he found at the Rossville site on Staten Island, New York.

Notes:  The Rossville is very similar in shape to the Piscataway Type and the two types may overlap in southeastern Pennsylvania.  The Rossville is the major type of the Bushkill Complex , associated with the Lagoon point type.  Has been referred to as the "Type K Contracting Stem Point" and as the "Lozenge Shaped Point".  More than one-third of known points are made from siltstone. 

About The Pictured Point (Left): The point pictured above and on the left hand side of this page, is a large sized somewhat asymmetrical Rossville point made from a dark brownish black argillaceous shale. The point is highly patinated. The point measures 52 mm in length, 30 mm at the widest point (the shoulders) and is 10 mm thick at its thickest point (mid blade at the shoulders) with the typical thickness along the blade being 8 mm. This point was a surface find from cornfields in the historic Robert Treat Farm, Borough of Woodmont, Milford, Connecticut. Catalog Number 50-5-B

About The Pictured Point (Left Center): The point pictured above and on the left hand center side of this page, is a very large long stemmed dull pointed Rossville point made fron a tan and gray quartzite material with some rust colored inclustions. The point has some surface smoothing due to salt water immersion.  The point measures 62 mm in length, 22 mm at the widest point (the shoulders) and is 8.6 mm thick at its thickest point (mid blade at the shoulders) with the typical thickness along the blade being 6.6 mm.   This point was a surface find from Oyster River in West Haven, Connecticut, Borough of Woodmont and is from the former Richard Buckley collection of New Haven, Connecticut. Catalog Number 271-18-W

About The Pictured Point (Right Center): The point pictured above and on the right hand center side of this page, is a very large symmetric and sharp pointed Rossville point made fron a dark black and blueish felsite material. The point measures 58 mm in length, 25 mm at the widest point (the shoulders) and is 8.7 mm thick at its thickest point (mid blade just below the shoulders) with the typical thickness along the blade being 7.1 mm.   This point was a surface find from West Haven, Connecticut and is from the former Richard Buckley collection of New Haven, Connecticut. Catalog Number 231-14-AC

About The Pictured Point (Right): The point pictured above and on the right hand side of this page, is a small highly surf eroded symmetrical Rossville point made from blueish black siltstone or felsite. The point is totally smoothed and devoid of knapping scars due to salt water immersion, however there is no mistaking that this is indeed an man made artifact. The point measures 44 mm in length, 16.6 mm at the widest point (the shoulders) and is 5.4 mm thick at its thickest point (mid blade at the shoulders) with the typical thickness along the blade being 4.1 mm.   This point was a surface find from Oyster River in West Haven, Connecticut, Borough of Woodmont and is from the former Richard Buckley collection of New Haven, Connecticut. Catalog Number 272-33-W

References: Boudreau, Fogelman, Hranicky (1), Justice (1), Kinsey, Perino (2),  Ritchie

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