St. Charles
This point type was named after examples found in central Illinois
and eastern Missouri. The type site is the Gronefeld site, St. Charles
County, Missouri.
Other Possible Names or Related Points: Dovetail, Plevna, and
Circle-top.
Age: 10,000 to 8,000 B.P.
Distribution: St. Charles points are found throughout the eastern
United States and in the Midwest, primarily south of the Wisconsin
River. A few examples have been found north toward Silver Mound in
western Wisconsin as well as in northeastern Iowa and southern
Minnesota, including an expended specimen made of Burlington chert that
was excavated from the Challey-Turbenson Cedar Valley chert workshop
site.
Description: St. Charles points are medium to large
spear-knife points. The blades are well made with convex sides, widest
at the midsection or toward the shoulder. The points are sometimes
unifacially barbed and/or serrated, and well-used points typically have
beveled edges from repeated resharpening. The notches are deep and
narrow or moderately V-shaped. The stems are generally short and narrow.
The bases are usually ground and strongly convex.
Length: 4–10 cm/1.5–4 in. (may extend to 7 in). Width: 2.5–5
cm/1–2 in.
Material: In the Upper Mississippi Valley, some of these
points were manufactured from Hixton silicified sandstone and Burlington
chert.
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