 View of the beach atWeirs Beach, looking east toward the outlet ofLake Winnipesaukee | |
  Location in New Hampshire | |
| Location | Weirs Beach, New Hampshire, US |
|---|---|
| Region | Lakes Region (New Hampshire) |
| Coordinates | 43°36′16″N71°27′21″W / 43.60444°N 71.45583°W /43.60444; -71.45583 |
| Area | 15 acres (6.1 ha) |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 9,000 BCE |
| Cultures | Abenaki (Pennacook) |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1970s |
| Official name | The Weirs |
| Designated | May 12, 1975[1] |
| Reference no. | 75000120 |
Aquadoctan was one of the largest knownNative American villages in what is now the U.S. state ofNew Hampshire. In an area commonly known today asThe Weirs (for the semi-permanentfishing weirs the natives had built on the river), the village lay on the north bank of theWinnipesaukee River at the outlet ofLake Winnipesaukee in theLakes Region of New Hampshire. The site is now inWeirs Beach, a summer resort and village of the city ofLaconia. The Native American village, whose archaeological remains extend for a half mile along the river and a quarter mile along the lake, has been documented through archaeological investigation to have evidence of settlement from 9,000 BCE to the late seventeenth century. Colonial reports document that the site was abandoned substantially in 1696, when most of New Hampshire's remaining native population withdrew to join thePequawket at present-dayFryeburg, Maine.[2]
Due to documentation of its use for human settlements, the area has long been of archaeological interest. Portions of the area were investigated formally during 1976 through 1979 by a team from theUniversity of New Hampshire, and in 1977 byHoward Sargent, long a leading figure in New Hampshire archaeology,[3] who is noted for his identification of theHunter Archeological Site that also is in New Hampshire.
Finds at the Aquadoctan site yield evidence of habitation back to thePaleo-Indian period (c. 7600 BCE). These finds were located underMiddle Archaic remains, indicating a long period of occupation. The site was one of the first in northern New England to yield evidence of human activity in thatprehistoric time period.[4]
A 15-acre (6.1 ha) section of the village site was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1975.[1]
