Neeley’s Ferry Plain 93.1 Decorated Sherds all other types 1.3 Wallace Incised 13 (Fig. 17;1) Miscellaneous—undefinable—incised 24 (Fig. 17;2) (Fig. 17;3) Nodes punched from interior 2 (Fig. 25) Old Town Red 57 Carson Red on Buff 3 (Fig. 18;2) Nodena Red and White 1
The inclusion of a Bell Plain Type is so tentative as to be questionable. The few sherds so classified are better considered as a refinement of Neeley’s Ferry Plain. This viewpoint receives additional support with the statement that there was considerable variation in the workmanship shown on Neeley’s Ferry ware, some being well polished and with a finer shell temper. Some sherds that were first thought to be clay tempered were later determined to be shell tempered with the shell leached out. There was almost no lip decoration in the form of nicking or notching. The standard treatment was simply a rounded lip smoothed to the inside and outside vessel walls.
Handles and lugs accounted for 1.4% of the sherd count. Of the identifiable pieces and whole specimens, there are 17 lugs, 2 loop handles, 2 intermediate and 49 strap handles. The lugs showed considerable variation and specialization which may be a local development. The Monette lug, as this local type has been called, is basically a U shaped applique with the ends pointing downward (Fig. 8;1-2). One example was well squared and gives the appearance of an old European churn handle. According to Nash, the cup lug is this same form inverted and these do occasionally turn up in less exaggerated form on the Lower St. Francis River sites. Eight of the lugs are rounded and are molded to the lip. Two are effigy tail lugs one of which was riveted to the vessel rim (Fig. 8;4). The other has a node in the center, outlined by an incised line. Two lugs are rounded and bifurcated. (Table 3).
[Illustration: Figure 8. Pottery Handles and Lugs _(No. 1 and 2. Monette lugs, 3. Riveted strap handle. 4. Riveted lug handle, 5. Applique strap handle, 6. Curved strap, 7. Square strap, 8. Round strap)_]
TABLE 3—RELATIVE OCCURRENCE OF POTTERY LUGS Type Number
Bifurcated 2 Effigy Tail 2 Rounded 7 Monette 8 Total Number 19
The loop handle was uncommon and quite small. One was made up of two strands or coils of clay loosely twisted to form the loop. The other is a simple loop that rises above the lip. Both attach to and are possibly riveted to the lip. They attach from lip to upper shoulder area.