Preble county ohio hopewell indian site

Bmorgan3

Bmorgan3

Jr. Member
Nov 12, 2019
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Hi ive found an untouched indian camp in the past year ive found over 50 points 30 hammer stones one axe and one celt is there anyone that has experience in this??? I would love to get someone who knows what theyre doing so we can start moving some dirt.. this is my first year hunting and honestly have no idea what im doing serious inquiries only please…anything anyone find they can keep i only ask for your knowledge flint types, time period best places to look ect thank you for reading
 

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you may be at a site that was hit by an illness that swept through and killed off the encampment, It sounds like you are in the right area for that to have happened. And it happened a lot. The remaining folk, moved on and left everything behind.
 

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Bmorgan3 said:
Hi ive found an untouched indian camp in the past year ive found over 50 points 30 hammer stones one axe and one celt is there anyone that has experience in this??? I would love to get someone who knows what theyre doing so we can start moving some dirt.. this is my first year hunting and honestly have no idea what im doing serious inquiries only please…anything anyone find they can keep i only ask for your knowledge flint types, time period best places to look ect thank you for reading
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Nice! BTW, I hunt in Montgomery and Warren County Ohio (S/SE of Dayton). Find quite a bit in the creeks. We are practically neighbors!
 

Wow. Looks like you could register that site and get it recorded. That's a great deal of artefacts and I'm thinking it could really date the time for the village, culture, as well as allow people to look for post molds, other features and really break it down for the details.

Those are unique finds and last site that I was asked to look at, the individual had pulled up a number of artefacts such as these...points, grinders, gorgets, you name it...they found post molds and eventually burials which allowed them to identify pottery with burials, pipes, etc. Tons of features and it really changed the map for what they knew about cultures in that area which led to some big updates to the Ohio River Valley area.

You're definitely onto something. I'd get someone involved to help identify more of those individual items. One note: It's a private site that you're given permission. These are your artefacts that you are locating. Consult someone for some assistance in identifying and allow them to help identify those things that I mentioned before such as culture, time, etc. they can even give you pointers on further searching, non-surface finds, while not damaging anything in the process. If someone wants to sit down and talk with you about it...show them and go over the points, etc. Allow pics if they choose but DO NOT allow them to take them for review. You'll never get them back and as being experienced...I've watched universities and even state museums borrow items for further review and the people never get them back.

I work with a group and we would identify, photograph, measure various things, and we would even help with site identification, advice on digs, and references, consults...and we're all volunteers for the most part but we never ask for the items. If someone begins asking...they're definitely a pro archaeologist and they love to take credit for items that are not their finds. haha. My group are all pros and experienced and educated (I consider myself a arch associate or research assistant but not arch). We still have respect and integrity. But if you find good people, they'll help without taking anything.

Another note: I wouldn't consult a NA contact at first. Just my opinion.
 

I didn't see any photos of pottery and the artifacts appear to be a wide time range of archaic stuff. I think you've found an ideal camp site that was used over centuries and therefor the multitude of artifacts. A couple of items looked like flint nodules covered in cortex, so those may have been available in the creek for tool making. The artifacts appear to be made from several flint sources, though I'm not familiar with all that occurs in your area. I don't see anything that indicated a Hopewell settlement. I suspect you'd be disappointed in your results if you started digging. Those archaic sites in my experience weren't highly developed and were short duration. I'm in northern Ohio, Wyandot county, and our farm has high creek banks that were heavily utilized in the archaic. The most I find are numerous hearths when I plow deep enough to turn up charcoal. They are scattered about and at most contain some fire cracked rock. I have found numerous artifacts in cultivated fields. Enjoy your hunts and I wouldn't invite too many to help, or you may regret it later.
 

Bmorgan3 said:
Hi ive found an untouched indian camp in the past year ive found over 50 points 30 hammer stones one axe and one celt is there anyone that has experience in this??? I would love to get someone who knows what theyre doing so we can start moving some dirt.. this is my first year hunting and honestly have no idea what im doing serious inquiries only please…anything anyone find they can keep i only ask for your knowledge flint types, time period best places to look ect thank you for reading
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Bmorgan3 said:
Hi ive found an untouched indian camp in the past year ive found over 50 points 30 hammer stones one axe and one celt is there anyone that has experience in this??? I would love to get someone who knows what theyre doing so we can start moving some dirt.. this is my first year hunting and honestly have no idea what im doing serious inquiries only please…anything anyone find they can keep i only ask for your knowledge flint types, time period best places to look ect thank you for reading
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At most maybe a flake knocked off, and they could easily just be random flake from mother nature. I would have left it in the field, but that is me.
 

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Looks like fossil fell out, no sign of being worked.
 

As far as digging make sure your in the clear as far as state laws go but a lot of times I’ll walk a spot till I see some flakes and make a small hole. Sometimes I’ll scrape down from the top or if the hole is bigger I’ll scrape down the sides with a trowel and feel/listen for it to hit stone. I know soil is different but around here there’s so much clay it’s pretty difficult to screen and it usually has to be pretty dry for a long time to do that.
 

Older The Better said:
I know soil is different but around here there’s so much clay it’s pretty difficult to screen and it usually has to be pretty dry for a long time to do that.
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And clay soil that has been dry for a while tends to be about as easy to dig as concrete.
 

Yes, got too dry here for a few years and it was all I could do to scrape away anything with my trowel in some spots. Wore me out before I could make much progress there’s definitely a sweet spot.
 

If not consulting an archaeologist, you should painstakingly keep records. Once you remove an artifact, disturb stratigraphy, etc., its context is lost and so is much of the information it once imparted. Learn archaeological methods if you plan to dig. It's a science, and it's more than just finding artifacts. This could be an important site, and as lovers of preserving history, we should be doing our best to preserve it in perpetuity.
 

igloo777 said:
If not consulting an archaeologist, you should painstakingly keep records. Once you remove an artifact, disturb stratigraphy, etc., its context is lost and so is much of the information it once imparted. Learn archaeological methods if you plan to dig. It's a science, and it's more than just finding artifacts. This could be an important site, and as lovers of preserving history, we should be doing our best to preserve it in perpetuity.
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Totally agree. It allows people to look at the context of what was going on in the surrounding area by dating the items. It also allows them to see if the items are from various areas, such as along a trade route. it allows them to narrow it down to a specific culture, that may have occupied the area that time.

Honestly, most do not care if you keep the items. There are often times that we will leave a note and a Storage card in a plastic bag and ask people to at least take photographs and mail them to us or email them to us. It allows us to get an idea of what kind of points and chert/Flint that were in that area. I bet nine times out of 10, people send us pictures or the storage cards back. In fact, I honestly can’t remember where somebody did not respond.

It’s very helpful
 

Nice finds, I'd start digging where ya found that slate piece, great find, ...There are plenty of books out there, Robert Converse has a good Ohio flint types book the second edition is better, Lar Hothem has some good books on ID as well, Theres the ASO your county might have a local chapter, Youre in a good area for artifacts...
 

Stoked for you! That’s a great group of finds! I’ll happily man a shovel if it’s ever wanted…
 

invent4hir said:
I recommend contacting the State Historic Preservation Office which maintains the Ohio Archaeological Inventory.
www.ohiohistory.org

Ohio Archaeological Inventory - Ohio History Connection

The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) maintains the Ohio Archaeology Inventory, the official record of archaeological sites.
www.ohiohistory.org www.ohiohistory.org

They share the same building with The Ohio History Connection. https://www.ohiohistory.org/
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I wouldn’t tell a soul! Bring in the arkies and you’ll lose your permission for sure. Tell them about the place on your deathbed! 🤣
 

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