I have been analyzing a small historic artifact collection from northwestern
Pennsylvania and have come across several examples of late historic/modern
(post 1870) glass fragments that show evidence of usewear and edge
preparation/retouch indicating use in a fashion similar to prehistoric
Native American scraping tools. These artifacts were collected from a
domestic refuse scatter loosely associated with a late nineteenth century
farmhouse. Several of these glass fragments are from machine made glass
containers, one glass fragment is manganese solarized, another is pink
machine-pressed table glass common during the Depression. I am aware of
worked glass on earlier sites, but the late date is puzzling. Though this
could be the work of either Native Americans or Europeans, there are no
known contemporary Native American settlements in this vicinity. Has anyone
come across any reference to something like this on later European sites?
Native American Sites?

Kira Presler
Kittatinny Archaeological Research, Inc.