The farm of Robert H. Workman in Liberty Township was discovered to have been the site of an Amerindian village. In anticipation of the flooding of a large area of land with the creation of Raystown Lake, archaeological digs were undertaken throughout Liberty Township. More than thirty sites were identified as possible Amerindian camps or villages. The Workman site was located on a terrace alongside the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River.
Two distinct periods of occupation have been suggested by the archaeological digs that were conducted in 1966 and 1967. The earliest occupation took place in the Archaic period from 6000 to 3000 B.C. the more recent occupation was dated to the Middle Woodland period of about 500 B.C. Post holes discovered at the Workman site suggested circular bark huts and bark longhouses. The most recent use of the site is estimated as 1550 A.D.
The earliest period of occupation was a minor one, but projectile points were discovered to suggest it. The major occupation was by Late Woodland, Shenks Ferry and Susquehannock peoples. The excavations performed by the Penn State / Juniata College archaeological team in 1967 discovered a skeleton; it was the first Amerindian burial to be found in the Broad Top region. Described by one writer as an adolescent male, the skeleton was proclaimed to be that of a 'Susqehannock warrior' by another. The digs ultimately uncovered a total of three additional burials. Two of the burial sites contained only teeth. The fourth site contained a mostly complete skeleton of a woman between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five years, also dating to the Middle Woodland period.
