Pickawillany Lab with Urbana University

On Thursday November 30, 2006, Dr. Julianne Phillips' history class from Urbana University came to the Archaeology Collection Facility in Columbus. This same class had visited Pickawillany during the fieldwork portion to get learn about the site and get a sense of the scope of the project. The purpose of the lab visit was to give the students an idea of what happens to the artifacts once they come to the facility.

They were given a tour of the lab and storage areas, learned about post excavation tasks such as weighing, measuring, cataloging, research material storage and map creation. They also got hands on experience and assisted staff in washing the material recovered from Pickawillany this year.

In picture one Bill Pickard is explaining proper washing techniques and picture two shows students "in action".

Thanks for your help!

Pickawillany: Final days of field work

A 'field of poppies', otherwise known as pin flags, are located behind Diana Jacobs, Bill Pickard and Michael Thornton. In a single 10x40 meter unit 99 pin flags marked metallic hits. You might think this would signify an area of Pickawillany related activity. But it is not the case. Only 2 Pickawillany period items were located here. The remaining 97 items were fence wire, fence staples, barbed wire, and round and square cut nails. Based on this, and historic aerial photographs, this unit is in an area where an historic fence line came through the property.

Bill Pickard and Toni Gambill did the last metal detection survey unit while Dr Jarrod Burks from Ohio Valley Archaeology and Dr Julieanne Phillips from Urbana University, despite the cold, had an enjoyable time doing their electrical resistance survey.

While the rain delays put us behind schedule, the hard work and flexibility of the volunteers and interns helped us catch up and we were able to complete the metal detector survey and this years geophysical survey. Without their help (an amazing 270 hours of work) none of this would not have been possible and we thank them!

Interns: Toni Gambill and Michael Thornton from Urbana University.

Volunteers: Jim Bartlett, Blair Elfrink, Veronica Frost, Revonda Gentry, Diana Jacobs, Dee Minnich, and Joe Shaffer

We also thank Piqua Historical Area Site Manager Andy Hite and all his staff for their invaluable assistance.

Pickawillany Update 6

Thursday's metal detector survey volunteers Dee Minnich, Diana Jacobs, Jim Bartlett and intern Michael Thornton (picture 1) enjoyed 60 degree weather while investigating a multitude of metal detector hits in a 20x40 meter section. Of the 44 objects retrieved, only 5 were likely to be from the time of Pickawillany. A wide majority of the hits proved to be post Pickawillany era nails, fence wire and barbed wire; undoubtedly the product of fence lines that have crossed the property over the past 200 years.

Picture 2 shows Diana examining one of the more unique items. It has an interesting shape (picture 3) and after cleaning it is recognized as some sort of ornament (picture 4). And most interestingly, it is very similar to one recovered in 2002 which was found over 80 meters south and 20 meters east of this newly discovered one. Was it a part of a pair of ear rings? Was it a pendent? Was it worn at the time of loss or was it part of a trader's supply of goods? Upon further investigation we might be able to deduce what the ornament type was but the means in which it was lost might never be known.