THE HOOKS DOVE
(ST. CHARLES POINT)
MADISON COUNTY, OHIO
JOHN BALDWIN COLLECTION
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   This St. Charles point was found in 1974 by a man

who was fishing along Deer Creek near Lake Choctaw

in the vicinity of Sommerford, Ohio in Madison County.

It's a good example of the Ohio style of "Dovetail" points

that have the smaller notched bases. The term "button

Base Dove" is sometimes used to describe them. This

point has become famous mainly for the rare variety of

bright red Flintridge chalcedony it was made from but
also for its complete unbroken condition. It's known as

the "Hooks Dove" after Jack Hooks who owned it for a

number of years. It's considered one of the most beautiful

St. Charles "Dovetails" ever found of this type.
   St. Charles points were named by Edward G. Scully in

1951 after St. Charles County, Missouri where several

examples have been found. Points like the one illustrated

here were most probably hafted onto short handles made

of either antler, bone or wood and used as knives. As the

edges became dulled or broken from cutting or scrapping

they were trimmed by pressure flaking. This resharpening

causes the edges to become beveled. The "Hooks Dove"

is a knife that wasn't sharpened enough to acquire the
beveling along the edges. It measures 5 inches (12.6 cm)

long and dates to the Early Archaic period sometime between

7,500 B.C. to 6,000 B.C.
COPYRIGHT JUNE 31, 2003 PETER A. BOSTROM

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