As a check against interpretation and as a means of getting an idea of
possible relationships of the Neeley’s Ferry Plain vessels found
elsewhere, each vessel was taken up separately. The procedure used
consisted first in describing the vessel, and secondly any comparisons
that could be made.
The vessels were roughly classified and then evaluated in order. First
was a broken water bottle that has had an angular ring base which has a
fillet at the base of the neck. The body is sub-globular, tending toward
carination but not enough so that there was agreement that it is
carinated (No. 75 found with burial 21). A similar vessel is shown by
Griffin (1952, p. 320) and is identified with the New Madrid focus.
Griffin (1952, plate 124K) shows a vessel that is similar coming from
the St. Francis area. Williams (1956) in his thesis, has included the
New Madrid Focus in the Cairo Lowland which he notes as a Phase. Another
similar vessel is a Neely’s Ferry Plain bottle coming from Monette,
Arkansas (Phillips, et al., 1951, Fig. 105, F). It seems from the
references that this particular vessel is relatively typical of the St.
Francis Malden Plain area but could have some relationship to the Cairo
Lowland area.
Another water bottle has an annular ring base that is perforated (No.
189, burial 35). The body is sub-globular and is definitely carinated.
The neck is long and flares at the opening and the vessel surface is
burnished. It is classed as Neeley’s Ferry Plain due to the prevalence
of large flakes of shell which show on the surface. It is comparable to
a vessel figured in Phillips, et. al., (1951, Fig. 103f) noted as a
Neeley’s Ferry or Bell Plain bottle that comes from the St. Francis
River near Monette, Arkansas.
The next bottle (F. S. 60 with burial 17) has a globular body, a long
neck and flares slightly at the opening. The base is flat. It is a
Neeley’s Ferry Plain vessel. The overall bottle shape seems to be a
generalized one and none could be found with which it compared very
thoroughly. A similar Neeley’s Ferry Plain water bottle (F. S. 88 with
burial 24) also has an almost globular body with a flat base but this
vessel has a fillet at the base of the neck and the neck is slightly
flaring. A vessel somewhat similar to this is figured on plate 3 of
Potter and Evers (1880) in the center at the top of the page. The vessel
shown came from southeastern Missouri. A broken water bottle (F. S. 406,
house 2), was associated with the fireplace in house two. It compares
very favorably with specimen number 60 but is somewhat carinated similar
to specimen number 75. The neck is missing. A Neeley’s Ferry Plain long
necked water bottle (F. S. 81, burial 23), has a globular body but has a
flat base which extends from the body and is similar in external
appearance to an annular ring base. The neck contracts toward the
opening and has a slightly smaller diameter at the opening. The body
shape and base are somewhat similar to Keno Trailed shown in the Belcher
Mound report plate 112 A through D (Webb, 1959). The neck shape is
similar to Sanders Plain (Suhm, et. al., 1954). The neck shape also
approaches that of the Spiro Engraved (Baerreis, 1957, pl. 64, A, D, F,
G and H). However, the neck does not contract as much at the opening. It
appears that this neck shape may be derived from or at least be related
to the neck shapes in the Caddo area.
A broken water bottle or a jar (FS 118, burial 27) is not readily
identifiable as to exact form. The body of the vessel is sub-globular
and the base is somewhat rounded. Perhaps it was a short necked vessel.
A short necked (FS 76, burial 22) Neeley’s Ferry Plain jar is broken. It
is a sub-globular shaped vessel with a flat base that is very similar in
body shape to vessel number 60. Another short necked water bottle (FS
39, burial 15) has a globular body with a flattened and depressed base.
This compares with a Neeley’s Ferry vessel (Phillips, et. al., 1951:
Fig. 104A) from Cross county, Arkansas. There is some uncertainty
concerning the type base on this vessel. Another specimen (FS 191,
burial 34) is a short necked water bottle that has a sub-globular body
and a depressed base. It is similar to field specimen 39 but the body is
not quite as globular.
A very unusual vessel, also Neeley’s Ferry Plain (FS 418), was found
associated with house 3. It is a water bottle form but has two strap
handles (Fig. 15;5). It is somewhat similar to a vessel from Cross
county, Arkansas (Phillips, et. al., 1951: Fig. 93D). The latter has a
much wider opening and the body is much more globular.
The next group of vessels consists of plates and bowls. An Old Town Red
plate or bowl (FS 119, burial 27) is painted both inside and out. It has
a flat disk bottom. The one vessel that it seems to compare with in
general shape is a Sanders Plain (Suhm, et. al., 1954; pl. 60, D) which
is of a different temper but is partly red filmed. A plate or shallow
bowl has approximately the same shape as that of the Old Town Red but is
Neeley’s Ferry Plain (FS 313, burial 37). It seems to be in the same
tradition because the lip is flattened in the same manner as the Old
Town Red plate. The rims on these plates are indistinct, grading into
the bowl wall. The other plate form (FS 145, house 1) is not quite as
well done as the two previously described but is approximately the same
shape and has the same characteristics. It is also a Neeley’s Ferry
Plain plate and is much like the two preceding except it is larger than
the others. An example of a plate that is somewhat similar in shape and
which is red filmed or red painted, and thus an Old Town Red vessel, is
shown in Evers (1880: pl. 17, Fig. 173).
Bowls are the next group of vessels. One is a shallow bowl (FS 25 burial
7) of Neeley’s Ferry Plain ware. It has a rounded lip. It compares very
closely with two vessels from Cross County, Arkansas (Phillips, et. al.,
1951: Fig. 100 F and G). Another shallow bowl (FS 104, burial 25) is of
the same type and general shape. A slightly different bowl (FS 90,
burial 24) (Fig. 16) has notches around the edge of the lip giving it a
pie-crust effect and it is much the same as one from Mississippi county,
Arkansas (Evers, 1880, Fig. 100 F and G).
Straight sided bowls (FS 35 burial 12 and FS 61 burial 17) of Neeley’s
Ferry Plain ware have relatively straight sides, rounded bases and
rounded lips and compare to Sanders Plain (Suhm, et. al., 1954: pl. 60
B, D, E). The bowls are similar to one that is smaller in size that was
found in a house on the Lofton Site I, 23SN42, in the Table Rock
Reservoir, Missouri (Chapman, personal communication).
[Illustration: Figure 16. Pottery Vessels with Burial 24]
Two bowls, marked as field specimen 190, occurred with burial 33. The
field notes mention only one bowl and no picture was made of the burial.
One bowl is plain (Suhm, et. al., 1954: pl. 60B), and the other is
straight sided of Neeley’s Ferry Plain paste which has a series of nodes
placed opposite each other, four on three sides and three on one side
(Fig. 14;3). No vessels could be found that were comparable.
A Neeley’s Ferry Plain bowl (FS 36 burial 12) has an incurved side and a
somewhat rounded, almost flat base. It compares in shape with a Barkman
Engraved bowl shown in plate 4,C (Suhm, et. al., 1954). Also similar in
shape is F in the same plate. Several of the engraved types from the
Caddoan area have somewhat similarly shaped bowls represented within
them and it seems very possible that this bowl shape derives from that
general area.
A small bowl (FS 26) is Neeley’s Ferry Plain. It is relatively deep and
steep sided with a rounded bottom. It was unassociated with any feature.
It is roughly made and nothing could be found to compare it with.
Two jars of the same type but differing in size are of importance in the
interpretation. One is a large jar (FS 419, house 3) of globular shape
with a recurved rim. The other is a miniature jar of the same type (FS
89, burial 24) (Fig. 16 right). Both have two bifurcated strap handles.
The large vessel seems to be the standard utility ware of the Neeley’s
Ferry Plain and of the widespread so-called Mississippi Plain. A vessel
very similar is shown in a group of shell tempered ones from Middle
Mississippi features at Moundville (Griffin, 1952; Fig. 151: 4). The
small vessel associated with the burial was probably made specifically
as a grave offering rather than for utilitarian purposes. This tends to
support the suggestion made earlier that the whole vessels found with
burials are representative of mortuary customs rather than a true
representation of the pottery characteristically used domestically.
A decorated pottery vessel (FS 426) was found associated with house 3.
It is Neeley’s Ferry paste, has a bifurcated handle and has a decoration
that is a series of incised half moon designs on the shoulder, each of
three lines similar to Matthews Incised decoration. The incising is
crude on the vessel and it is suspected that this might be an influence
from the Cairo Lowland area where Matthews Incised is much better done
and is more prominent. Another Neeley’s Ferry Plain jar (FS 13) with the
bifurcated strap handles has a design on it that is similar to the
Matthews Incised and it also has a series of punch and bosses associated
with the design. A vessel similar to this is shown in Porter and Evers
(1880; pl. 12, center right). On this same plate are two other vessels
with the punch and boss impressions both of which are middle Mississippi
types from southeastern Missouri. The incised decoration and bosses are
also shown on vessels found at the Matthews site (Walker and Adams 1941;
p. 116, pl. 15, A and B).
There are three other vessels from the site. One is a water bottle (FS
2, burial 1) which has a raised portion rather than a fillet at the base
of the neck and which has a straight long neck slightly tapering toward
the opening. Similar to it is a long necked Neeley’s Ferry Plain vessel
(FS 125, burial 28) with a carination which is partly filleted. The base
is flat. The last of the three is one with a cut base. It is a
relatively long straight necked water bottle. There is no information
concerning its location on the site.