Monday, May 21, 2007

Indian village study shows multiple sites in county
Two years ago Beaman was tapped by Wilson County officials to find Toisnot Village, what was commonly thought to be a large reserve of Tuscarora Indians during the colonial days of North Carolina. Beaman's search is an updated attempt at tracing known Tuscarora villages through eastern North Carolina.

In the late 1990s, two East Carolina University archaeologists embarked on a two-year study of Tuscarora communities in eastern North Carolina. The archaeologists examined sites in Pitt, Lenoir, Wayne and Greene counties, however their time limit ran out before the duo could search in Wilson County.

"Historically people have looked for one site called Toisnot Village," Beaman told the Wilson County Historical Society Thursday afternoon. "Sometimes when we're looking for one thing, we discover something we didn't expect."