Shoal Creek at Haun's Mill, looking southwest, extremely low water,
early September 2002
Exposed rock shoals, narrow spot, just downstream from
the high bank of yellow clay, suggested dam location per Andrew
Jenson.
2003 Haun's Mill Reconnaissance, Project
Archaeologist Paul DeBarthe
Sunday
Afternoon Archaeology Activities
Current Archaeology Reports
Thursday, 31 July 2003 [Report not received]
Wednesday, 30 July 2003 [Report not received]
Tuesday, 7/29/2003 Chris Coen joined our team today as we began the
Haun's Mill focus of this two week project. We laid out a ten foot
square 160-170 ft. south of the chained post. It extends east into the
teardrop drive and provides a painful challenge for digging. Not only
has traffic churned the soil when wet so it has baked into a close
cousin of adobe, the gravel mix acts like grit in pottery making the
surface extraordinarily durable. A slump in the soil has led us to this
test. A rectangular depression about four inches deep was noted last
week extending most of the way across the drive. This week, the
differential drying has produced a deeper slump, now one foot deep with
the new gravel scraped by the bottoms of vehicles. I anticipate a
basement to a Mormon period house, however, Sharon raised the prospect
of a well. We are digging through veritable brick to find out, so please
be patient.
We extended the base line to 370 ft. south, turned 90 degrees west and
laid out two more squares to test our theories on the pool. At 60-70 ft
west, 370-380 south and 60-70 west, 440-450 south we have placed squares
to seek the Mormon grade north and south of the pool. We have theorized
that the pool served the lumber mill so the mill should be close at
hand. The compact Mormon period grade should be evident even if we are
not fortunate enough to hit a structure. On the other hand, the backhoe
test has challenged the theory by demonstrating 15 ft. of soil on top of
50 year old drums south and east of the Setzer marker. No Mormon period
grade was evident in that sector. What will we find south of the pool?
Where was Shoal Creek in 1838?
Sharon found burned bone, window glass and undecorated earthenware in
the midfield square, but she only worked there an hour after assisting
with the other projects. Mr.Coen and Mr. Hipps learned to use the
transit and stadia today. The practical application of the Pythagorean
theorum used in creating our ten foot squares may have been the most
rewarding educational benefit for our students because they used
geometry and gained appreciation not offered through a textbook. Some
laughter is recorded on the camera at their "square challenged" expense,
but, they learned to fine tune the ten foot parallelegram into a
square.
Monday, 7/28/2003 Mr. Robt. Hipps accompanied me to the log house and we returned the log to which he had listened in world history class. Rich house visitors will now be able to see the dendrochronological record portrayed in that remarkable specimen and listen to the voices whispering from it. Mary Sprouse and Mr. Wallace joined us for the Riggs special tour. We visited the Winchester home site where Major Patton died after the Crooked River Battle. Far West gave us opportunity to find a line of limestones north of the temple site and near those, Miss Sprouse found a redware lid fragment. The burial site gave Mike the chance to explain about the historical shift from commons burial to cemeteries on the edge of town as seen here. The still open excavation south of the cemetery shows little wear except the baulk that hid the brownware jar has been reduced and the jar no longer is evident. We then cleaned the squares in and near the log house, finding artifacts which were left en situ for the tourists to appreciate. A clay marble amidst the stones of the fireplace base offers a nice touch and the cut deer bone and bottle glass inside the house reinforce that the remaining artifacts in the remaining house are authentic. Mr. Hipps noted on the way home that he had learned substantially on this day and looks forward to learning from the facts in the dirt.
Tuesday, 22 July 2003
We were all disappointed when the target proved to be a couple of ferrous
barrels, 55 gallon drums, cut to function as feeders for cattle. Similar feeding
arrangements were used on our Iowa farm through the mid twentieth century. We
also found a dirty diaper and a Zarda cottage cheese lid several feet below the
surface. The hoe cut from the stream to the high point of the
terrace southeast of the parking teardrop. The clay in which the barrels was
found continues at about ten feet below surface as far as the backhoe permitted
us to see. Flood deposits account for that full vertical profile. Therefore, our
fine theory has suffered a setback because we now have no evidence of Mormon
period occupation south of the ditch. The ditch therefore must be reconsidered.
Since we have evidence of a Mormon grade and artifacts 18 inches below surface
north of the ditch, we will test further south of it, perhaps in the next two
weeks. We did meet the very pleasant neighbor, Mr. Frazier, who
lives to to the southeast. Mr. Frazier shared some of his experiences with us.
The ladies were digging in the square 50S, 160-170W and found a
kaolin pipe stem, hand painted stoneware, red transfer print, olive sodalime
container glass, square nails, and numerous bone fragments. Two pieces of blue
spongeware of the type frequently identified with child labor in the early 19th
century were also uncovered. It would have been nice, perhaps if
the hoe had found something to confirm our earlier hypotheses. On the other
hand, we now revise and refine and proceed with the challenging task of using
tiny bits of information to assemble new theories to test and disprove. The
question, "Where was Haun's Mill?" is providing an engaging saga of
possibilities and none of us can look at the spongeware, the pipestem and the
other artifacts of today and be discouraged." Please come out and join
the dig. We need your help!
Thursday, 19 June 2003
This square offers particularly exciting prospects since the
prospective foundation underlies the north edge(probe photo). Quite a lot of
company today. We talked and invited them to visit the log house.
The tear drop drive is on the easternmost elevation of the
north end of the site. Then next elevation west is where we are finding the
foundation, 60 ft. south of the fence line and 170 ft. west of the steel post
with log chains marking the old parking lot entrance. The other elevation west
has three prospective sites, non of which are yet tested beyond the probe. The
tear drop tests positive and undoubtedly will have to be worked through, gravel
and traffic compacting as well as the problem of distraction from the tourists.
Perhaps for that stage we will have an interpreter volunteer to entertain the
perfunctory questions. Another year, another set of challenges.
July 28, 2003 week is the next one scheduled. Let's find the
mill! More people like Mr. Babidge would help!
Monday, 16 June 2003
Tuesday, 10 June 2003 Sunday, 27 April 2003
April 2003 Several
times during April, David and Bob Hawley visited the site to continue their
ongoing magnetometer survey
of the site. So far, their visits have proven very productive. While finding
that the overall site is quite clean- with very little metal present, they did
find some important benchmarks. Bob Hawley found one of the property survey
stakes, believed to have been set when the property was last surveyed, in
connection with the (Community of Christ) RLDS Church purchase of the 38 acres
in 1960. Other related findings have helped us understand more about stream
mechanics and uses of the property in the 1960s. Also as a by-product of this
survey, about an acre of small saplings have been removed from the west end of
the field.
Last year, digs were held on Aug. 25, Sept. 8, 15,
22, and 29, Oct. 13 & 20, and Nov. 10, 2002. Thanks to all who participated
for your interest and support.
Sunday, 10 November 2002 Sunday, 3 November 2002 Sunday, 20 October 2002 Sunday, 13 October 2002 Sunday, 6 October 2002 Sunday, 29 September 2002
Sunday, 22 September 2002 Sunday, 15 September 2002 8 September 2002 25 August 2002 Tursday, 14 June 2002 Tuesday, 18 June 2002 [Ron adds the following by way of further explanation]:
Wednesday, 19 June 2002 [Ron adds:] Friday, 21 June 2002 Monday, 24 June 2002 Tuesday, 25 June 2002
"The cesium magnetometer
worked! With David and Bob Hawley having projecting a large piece of metal, such
as a mill wheel face plate, at the confluence of Shoal Creek and what we
believed to be a Mormon dug ditch, we excitedly awaited this day in which the
back hoe could reveal to us what ferrous object the magnetometer had sensed more
than ten feet below surface. This was the day. Charlie, his son, and the backhoe
arrived and started work under the supervision of, Scherer, Romig, Joy Goodwin
the Community of Christ's new artifact director, Riggs, David and Bob Hawley and
DeBarthe. Sharon Harris and Bethany also kept close eye but became distracted as
a result of the digging and worked instead at the slow trowel and error process
which keeps producing artifacts in the field, especially after the machine broke
a hose at noon. Contingency plans were made and scrapped after repairs and the
machine took us to 15 feet below the spot David Hawley had marked. 
Handpainted
spongeware Kaolin pipe stem
Open
squares Probe photo
Darryl Babidge discovers an artifact
Archaeology Camp, June 2003
We discovered foundation material adjacent to the area we are excavating in the
field. The probe hit brick and limestone at 14 inches below surface near the 60
S 170 W stake. That puts it below the plow zone and revives hopes that
structural remains do survive where we can find them below the plowed surface.
We also have charcol probed south of the ditch, offering prospect for Mormon
period occupation there as well.
We set up the transit on
the southwest corner of the Setzer marker and shot a line south toward the
cesium magnetometer hot spot. That line ran us into a thicket of stinging
nettles, reeds canary grass, and even a tangle of grape vines. We cut through
and tromped down to 200 ft. south of Setzer's marker..
In the
afternoon, we cleared vegetation and soil from the squares in the field. the
north square had 33 pieces of limestone exposed, 9 of them burned.
The end of the day examination on camera shows a hand painted
earthenware, one brown glazed stoneware, an eartheware which may have been
burned or may not have been glazed at all. Sharon found a thin piece of soda
lime window glass (less than 2 mm.) of the type used by Mormons. She also found
a chert chip and a bone fragment in the east square.
The soil
is moist and beautiful for digging. I wish we had more crew members. Will go
again Thursday and expect a substantial crew next Monday and Tuesday..
Two
crews worked today. One took core samples around the ditch and found an area
south of the pool which has a very dense zone about 12 inches below surface.
The largest number of students comprising the other crew worked on the three
open squares in the field and found several pieces of undecorated white
earthenware: one blue shell edged piece of the clear brush stroke type generally
dated 1860 or later, and three pieces of stoneware hand painted with wide dark
blue brush strokes.
Some square nails and some burned limestone were added to the evidence that we
are on target for a residence at Haun's Mills. It cooled off fast when the sun
went down, but a couple of young ladies began finding numerous artifacts and are
anxious to return next season so they can recover what they know to be at hand.
It is exciting to see numerous artifacts expanding our fragmentary information
about the site. Thus ended our scheduled dig season for 2002.
Dig
cancled due to heavy rain.
Again our beautiful afternoon was greeted by enthusiastic diggers who found neat
stuff! A bone fragment, probably deer, more soda lime glass and more undecorated
earthenware were uncovered with more burned limestone. All this indicates we are
on target for a home site. Two special artifacts were uncovered. The hand
painted blue shell edged earthenware shows the carefully painted lines of what
often was child labor in potteries of the early nineteenth century. The
stoneware found by Neesa and Julieanne is a base fragment of a bowl glazed both
outside and inside. These utilitarian vessels served as mixing and cooking bowls
on the frontier. Delightful to see the practical wares one would expect on a
Mormon site in Missouri in 1836-1838.
Next week, we recess for the annual luau fundraiser for a school in Haiti. Pig
comes out of the ground at 4:30 p.m. and we eat from 5 to 7 at Shawnee Drive
Community of Christ Church. Join us if you can. Many of the student volunteers
from the dig will be participating.
Back to the dig site for the first two Sundays of November.
Another beautiful day on the site! Our first pieces of stoneware have been
uncovered. Fifteen feet apart, two brown pieces of a jar showed up, one adjacent
to a piece of burned limestone, possibly guiding us to a fireplace location.
David Hawley brought his
magnetometer and extended the survey along the stream and into the field. Jim
Weigand joined us to begin the use of the increment borer. He took a core from
the white oak tree north of the squares south of the creek.
An
unfortunate accident along Catawpa road north of the site occurred as we left. A
tree had fallen and partly obstructed the road. David Lee, driving a pickup with
our tools but with no passengers lost control on the gravel after passing the
obstruction and landed in the ditch. The sheriff, the ambulance personnel,
highway patrol and passers by worked together commendably to maximize care for
David. I volunteered to take him to the hospital but left him in his mother's
care instead. She is a nurse and wanted to check him out before determining if
xrays are warrented. Mike Riggs brought him to Cameron to transport home. Ron
Romig and Diane Forsythe were on site and apparently assumed command of the
crisis. It appears that the team worked together well and has again demonstrated
ability to take a crisis in stride and continue toward our restorative
objectives. I am proud to be part of this team!
NO
DIG.
20
students from SME made the trip today. A bit hot and dry but productive. A third
square was opened on the knoll and it already shows limestone. A piece of soda
lime window glass about 2 mm thick with the irridescence of Mormon period
impurities was uncovered. This raises the question of where glass in 1836 would
have been available for Mormon use? St. Louis? Who was producing? Would Haun's
mill residents have had a supply in association with the lumber sawmill? A clear
bottle fragment from the twentieth century was also found with a bit of bossing
but not diagnostic.
Our team on the south has more burned earth
and another piece of chert but still nothing diagnostic for their efforts. We
can be patient.
A
third crew used our new open ended soil probe and explored south of the ditch.
They found an area immediately south of the pool in the ditch which has a soil
change at 30-36 inches below surface. Possibly the ditch channeled water to the
wheel and the mill therefore will be found at that location. Premature at this
point but exciting to see a new tool providing scintilating evidence.
.gif)
I will be celebrating birthdays with my
parents next weekend as they move into their ninth decade. Back to the dig on
Oct. 13 and 20.
We have opened two ten foot squares 130 W and 150 W of the benchmark line on the
knoll marked by Bray and the Prices (1972) as the location of an artifact
concentration. While this area has been plowed, and therefore foundation
material will have been removed, it is possible sometimes to plot the artifacts
and ascertain the location of the related plowed out structures. That is our
intent and while we have large numbers of volunteers, it makes sense to let them
carefully work through the plow zone, plotting artifacts and construction
materials as we go. The first chunk of limestone, probably a spall from a
foundation has been exposed in the square 154 ft west, 63 ft. south. A number of
fragments of brown beer bottle glass have been found on the surface in both
squares. Mr. Robert Barnes has begun the mowing and he even used the weed whip
to clear the ten foot line for these tests.
On the south side
of the stream, our investigation has uncovered the first artifactual evidence. A
burned red clump which may be brickbatt or may be burned limestone or simply
burned earth from a fire pit was uncovered. Its picture is included, no uniform
face to confirm brick, but clearly heat modified material.
David Lee brought walkie talkies which really helped the communication process.
I have ordered a 24 inch increment borer with a 50% discount from Forestry
Supply. Lach indicates that RTF will fund the open end probe and so it will be
ordered this week. The process is meticulous, especially the painstaking quest
for plowed structures, but we are enjoying beautiful weather and excellent
volunteers. Five more Sundays are scheduled.
The mower still had not visited the site so we used a scythe to cut the
vegitation on a series of ten foot squares across the first rise west of the
Selzer marker. We used the transit to mark the lines 60, 70 and 80 feet south of
the fence. This corresponds with the maps from Bray and Price in the early 70s
who picked up artifacts in this area. Another crew dug behind the logs on the
north side of the creek that appeared to possibly be man deposited. The test
demonstrated large quantities of branches strewn north of the logs with no clear
arrangement, therefor most likely a natural deposit.
Our third crew crossed Shoal Creek to
the south and began troweling in the two eight foot squares marked over the
depression. No artifacts were found, however, the probe indicates we simply have
to move more dirt.
It was a beautiful day to dig. The delight
of discovery awaits more work, but, the delight of the process of 20 kids and
half a dozen parents preparing for discovery is by itself, a worthwhile payoff.
It is apparent with three projects concurrent today, that
walkie talkies should be added to the list of requests. Further, a digitizing
company can make a satellite radar map of our site for $500 and a detailed
infrared for $150. It would be nice to have those made this winter when the
foliage is minimal.
The investigation has an
exciting development! On the south bank, our depression has been found by the
metal detectors to be filled with ferrous metal to a depth of 8 inches below
surface. We have no verification by digging, however, the site archaeologist
observed the two instruments singing wildly while in the depression, asked for
readjustment of the controls, tested three times and found the detectors both
responding ecctatically when located within the depression. Around the edges,
little response, but ferrous all over, a multiplicity of metals in the north
east corner, and clear indication that no fallen tree has left this cavity.
The result portends that this is a basement
cavity backfilled as a trash dump, but presumably still giving us the best en
situ distribution of artifacts from a Mormon period house to date. Squares are
laid out to begin excavation next Sunday.
Ron Romig came and
explored the stream with us. The shoal from what we think was the crossing area
is now exposed. Some logs on the north side of the stream appear stacked and if
the water level continues to permit, will be tested next week for randomness.
About twenty people worked with us. More
than that have signed up for next week. We hope to have the field mowed so they
can open squares on the ridge where metal detector, Bray map and Price map say
we should have a house site.
Our crew was small today. Mr.
Meers and Mr MacDonald from my archeology class, Mr. Coen and Mr. Steadman
from World history, Miss Zamaitis and her mother from my Johnson County
Community College archaeology class and Dessa and Mindy joined my wife Rina and
myself for a productive afternoon. We found that the dam Tehau and I made in
June remains. The north end that we perched precariously has now filled with 50
feet or so of driftwood backed upstream and the water has eaten around what we
thought was the more secure south end. Our primary objective today was to
spread the team to hike the south hill slope to find evidences of
Mormon occupation. Upon clambering to the top of the stream bank, leading the
troop, I immediately found a depression of approximately the right size for
a basement. (No other discoveries in the hike). Since we had the transit and
tripod, we set them up on the north bank on the north-south baseline and turned
the 180 degrees to extend the line to the south bank. Previously, we were unable
to do this because of the foliage and undergrowth, but this time, our crew
focused upon clearing obstructing branches and we were able to extend the line
to the south. It runs less than ten feet west of the "basement"
depression and has not yet been extended to the property line, but, I feel as
though a major victory has been attained to do what we previously could
not.
A blowout on my car on the way home made things
interesting and we were twenty minutes late to Shawnee Mission East High School,
but, all safe and pleased to have effectuated access to an unstudied part of the
site. I have the new metal detector but could not use it effectively with growth
as high as it is. The GPS was able to mark in the depression and in
the wagon cut depression as well. Small steps will succeed! Larger steps are
planned and anticipated in the next few weeks. We should be able to grid and
begin a test of the depression next time out, and if the field is mowed, I am
ready to focus upon the house locations indicated by the 1972 Bray map and
confirmed by our metal detectors.
If David can provide the
magnetometers on one of the scheduled Sunday afternoons, I am confident I can
supply crews of enthusiastic volunteers.
Paul
June 2002
Magnetometer survey in field north of Shoal Creek
Devin Walton and I arrived late this morning (someone got
involved in a delightful conversation and missed the Catawba turnoff South from
36). Chuck Tripp drove a truck pulling a tractor four hours from Nauvoo to
arrive about 10 and begin the mowing. Belt problems slowed his progress but he
patiently repaired and kept it operational until the belt broke. He then found
someone with a triple brush hog to finish the job and it was done expeditiously.
The site had as many as 14 vehicles parked at one time with
visitors anxious to see the site and appreciative of MMFF and JWHA efforts to
reclaim it. Two mother daughter combinations joined us for the archaeological
experience and we have three other students temporarily lost who will be with us
soon. Our base point of the northwest corner of the concrete block of the bend
of the section road on the north side of section 17 allows an east west baseline
along the road. A north south baseline was shot 94.5 feet W of our benchmark
through the center of a six-inch square post. Afterthought has us reconsidering
because that line runs through the parking area and may experience too much
disruption by traffic. There is a metal post in that fence line which may be
considered as anchor to the north south primary baseline in the morning. We do
run into major quantities of poison ivy on the south bank and will find it a
challenge to map the area outside the fifteen (?) acre clearing.
Mr. Walton attempted the first rubber raft trip across Shoal Creek and
found it an upsetting experience. He took both the soaking and my hilarity in
good form, only regretting that I crossed dry both ways.
The
magnetometer will be welcome, however, it would be nice to have the GPS system
tied to the computer for mapping purposes. The same applies to metal detectors.
Discussion at MMFF tomorrow may clarify this need.
We will
proceed as best we can with gridding, surface study, and training for another
day. It is exciting to have the project under way!
Our base lines north-south (tied to
the two inch metal post in the fence line) and east-west (200 ft. south and
extending 600 ft. west) are established across the field. Our intent was to
place steel posts at the 100 ft. markers and wood stakes at 50 ft. intervals.
Judy Volmer kindly supplied six steel posts but of course we needed eight.
The GPS works beautifully. When the metal detector indicates a
hit, the GPS records and can qualify the hit as much as the detector allows. Our
first series of real hits occurred in the swale near the fence. Since it was in
my opinion too low lying to be taken seriously, I determined to bypass. The
students wanted to check it out so I indulged them with a trowel test. They hit
gravel and in the mix came up with a sheet of molten lead about 5 inches long
and an inch and a half wide, a quarter inch thick. Molten lead on a site where
people were preparing for battle does make sense. And what a nice omen for the
first hit with the metal detector.
The east west line was
explored with the metal detector with another cluster of hits around the 500 ft.
stake. Hits were more sparse and in all cases the detector indicates metal is
deep. Water was high, Bailey Slater got stuck in the pool in the
road and had to be pulled out by a kind Mormon. Still struggling with problem of
how to cross the Shoal Creek. I have a canoe but no means to transport it to the
site.
The rubber raft is too precarious. Tehau is looking to
conduct a creek hike to find possible shoals not too deep.
Richard Ross mowed a bunch of weeds
for us near the Creek and cleared enough area for us to use the metal detector
along the bank. We have finished the metal detecting the field area and have
recorded approximately 100 hits, mostly near the drive. We have some areas
meriting exploration and may open another 5 ft square for an additional profile.
The one we opened near the road has gravel in the top four inches, dark sandy
loam below that and a yellow clay addition to the dark sandy loam below one
foot. This appears to be a separate flood deposit. Unfortunately, we have no
Mormon period artifacts to mark the level utilized 160 years ago [Mormon
habitation layer].
Today we built a bridge. Tehau and I moved
a logjam downstream to a couple of stumps in the stream. This provided us access
to the south shore- until the water comes up.
We crossed to
the south bank to explore. The dense growth makes it difficult but I have found
a place to position the transit and tripod to bring our North-south line across
the stream. We probably will have to defer south bank mapping until the leaves
are off.
Diane talked with more than 1000 tourists yesterday.
We are hoping the magnetometer survey can be conducted next
Tuesday.
On
a previous day, Richard Ross, of Kidder, Missouri, brought his tractor and brush
hog equipment to the site. Richard cleaned out an extensive area between the
field and the banks of Shoal Creek in anticipation of a magnetometric survey of
this area scheduled next week. The water level in Shoal Creek has been
exceptionally low this week. Having worked up a serious sweat during the morning
survey base lines, Paul and son Tehau cooled off during the afternoon while
exploring the streambed. At times wading in chest high water during their creek
hike, Paul and Tehau obtained quite a bit of useful information about the
waterway and streambed structure. Team member Devin Walton completed a wide
sweep of the field with a metal detector. Building a profile of the site,
encountered targets or "hits" were left in the ground and plotted on Paul's
evolving site map. Numerous visitors continue to stop at the site. Most are
either on their way to or coming back from visits to Nauvoo- where the LDS
Church has reconstructed the Nauvoo Temple. Visitor counts are extremely high at
all church historic sites this season as a consequence of Nauvoo travel. MMFF
Northwest Chapter Chair Diane Forsythe has been on hand the past couple of weeks
to interpret the mill site to appreciative groups of visitors, leaving Paul and
students free to continue the site reconnaissance.
Exciting developments! Or maybe I
have just been in the sun too long-working with too few assistants and too
little backing. Ron Romig came to the site today and used his push mower to
clear areas I had never seen before. He opened lines through the weeds so we now
have 500 ft NS with 50 ft. interval stakes and lines EW across the site at 200
and 400 ft. In exposing the lay of the land 400 ft. S and toward the west, he
pushed his mower up an incline, a burin of nearly three feet in height. North of
the rise, a channel that I had thought was simply an old ox bow from the stream
that still holds water on occasion. The dirt pile, however, impresses me as
probably a man made deposit from the trench. It extends with some irregularity
for more than 100 feet to where it angles toward Shoal Creek. This expanded view
suggests the prospect that this channel was hand dug to provide a bypass for
water at the west end of the mill pond to pass the mill on the north. The
channel would reconnect with Shoal Creek a few feet southeast from the concrete
Selzer marker near the road. This would have left the probable Mill site on a
man made island. Ron related that Jacob Meyer of Mansfield, Richland County,
Ohio built several mills in that state before coming to Missouri to build this
one for Jacob Haun.
This may be the first reasonably clear
evidence that has come to my attention of modification of the site attributable
to the Mormon period and it is substantial!
Ron and I also met
Galen Harper of Chillicothe, a businessman with interest in capturing some of
the Mormon dollars crossing his history rich territory. His staff has one grant
writer interested in our project and I welcome Jennifer Mclin to the project.
A 1978 infrared photo came to my attention today. It has a
circular feature next to the tree line. I walked across it, Ron and I glanced at
it and observed the center is about three feet below the north, east and west
edges which are estimated at fifteen ft. diameter. The south portion feeds
directly into the presumed hand dug drainage channel.
After
returning home, I recalled seeing a crack in the soil along the east edge of
that feature. We may have to do some more testing tomorrow!
Three LDS tour buses were already at the Haun's
Mill site when Ron Romig arrived at 9:00 a.m. Also a steady stream of personal
vehicles full of church history devotees put in an appearance during the day- at
times as many as 10 at once.
In addition to LDS visitors, area
residents Vicky Wiedmier and Galen Harper stopped by to inquire how local
residents might assist with heavy flow of site visitors this season, better
promote the site and develop Caldwell County infrastructure to accommodate
future visitors. Having had an exceptionally long hard day yesterday with the
metal detector, just one student was on hand to assist with today's site
reconnaissance.
Paul continued the work of laying down base
lines- providing precise location descriptions for features that may be found
between the field and stream. During the morning and early afternoon Ron ran a
lawn mower through the high weeds ahead of the survey team. In this way an
interesting feature came to Paul's attention. Paul had thought a waterway or
ditch between the field and creek might be a cutoff stream oxbow. The lawnmower
became an archaeology tool uncovering a mound of earth piled all along the south
edge of this depression- suggesting that rather than having been created as a
natural process, this may actually be a human made feature. Though this ditch
requires further interpretation, it potentially represents a millrace for Haun's
or a later mill just downstream from the site, or a milldam overflow channel. As
Paul hypothesized, it may be the first definite feature to be discovered in this
current investigation of the north side of the stream suggesting an arrangement
of the former hamlet.
MMFFers Bill and Annette Curtis also
visited the site today- serving as guides to former LDS Mission President Daniel
Rogers and his traveling companions.
The circular feature? Stirring
excitement in the last update did not respond to coaxing by metal detector nor
by probes. The low portion drains into the ditch that may have been hand dug.
The amphitheater shape holds appeal, but with no metal nor walls, we will hope
for the magnetometer to produce some encouragement to test.
The
ditch offers real challenges. The possibility that it represents a bypass for
the millpond, making it easier to regulate water depth for the mill remains most
interesting. Rina suggests the circular facility may have been a storage zone
for logs floated down the stream to the mill. Questions of the extent to which
logs would have been floated in vs. carried in merit exploration. Ron's
observations about the millwright, Joseph Meyers Sr., building previously in
Ohio where one or more of his may still stand near Mansfield offers exciting
model and precedent to explore.
Jennifer Mclin came to explore
possibilities in grant writing for us. Her observation that the site is not yet
on the National Register of Historic Sites I would call to your attention and
encourage action to rectify. My wish list is under way and will be submitted
soon. It will have immediate tool wants and needs, specialists to consult, and
longer term prospects for the site.
We have covered the field
and mowed areas with the metal detector and have noted hits on the sketch map
and with the GPS. Probes (thanks to Lee Updike) have been used in scattered
areas of interest with two hits that may merit testing, however both appear to
be isolated stones, not foundations.
Looking forward to
Tuesday with the magnetometer and exciting exchange of interpretations and
ideas.
We approached the site
today determined to test the thesis that the "ditch" is natural. David Coit,
Carolyn Wise, Devin Walton and I set up the transit and shot a south line 200
ft. west of our base line. We cut through a bunch of weeds with a shovel to
expose the ditch and placed three five foot test squares in a line.(Enclosed
snapshot looking south into the ditch). One on the north slope, one in the
bottom and one adjacent on the south slope. To distinguish soil deposits which
have been disturbed from those laid down naturally is not too difficult when the
soils are different colors, but, in this case, dark sandy loam flood deposit had
to be distinguished from disturbed dark sandy loam and I warned the diggers that
it would be difficult. Nonetheless, if we could make the distinction and show
the original profile of the dug channel, we would have very important support
for the thesis that the mill was on a man made island.
After a
long hot afternoon, diggers on the slope joined by Mindy and Dessa were 18
inches below the sloping northern surface when they noted significant difference
in the soil texture. A much more compact and difficult to dig zone had been
entered. They then hit a piece of sandstone, clearly not floated in by nature.
While cleaning the square to expose the sandstone for photo, they discovered a
small (large thumbnail sized) red transfer printed earthenware fragment with a
dentritic floral or fern design. This delightful confirmation that we are on the
Mormon level, that we found it on the compact zone of soil 20 inches below
surface, that it is in company with a lump of sandstone which should not
naturally be there confirms that the ditch is man made.
Tomorrow, we expect the magnetometer crew and another exciting day. The
discovery today narrows the search for the mill and helps immeasurably to
restore enthusiasm in a crew worn down from the heat and druge labor.
Test
squares.
The Magnetometer crew showed up.
Following an extended setup- David Hawley and helpers covered a large area. Dig
crew observed and assisted. The team worked in the field during the cooler
portion of the day- and under the trees between the creek and field in the hot
afternoon. Some interesting magnetic variations were observed nearer the creek.
The work will require at least another day to complete. Next Week is a
possibility.
This year's survey at Haun's Mill has proven pleasingly
successful.