Analyzing Flat Glass

Cammie, a CAR volunteer and anthropology student at MSU, is analyzing the flat glass from Bell Tavern. The thickness of the glass can be used to determine the age of the glass.

Meanwhile, we are nearly done with the text and photos for the prehistoric page and have begun work on three others. The publications department is doing the lay out template for the pages. We are anxiously awaiting Veronica's concept.

Delaware Bridge Cairn

Diagram in The Missouri Archaeologist article by Richard A. Marshall, Vol 18 No. 4.

Prehistoric Page

While the design of the web site is being done by the Publications Department at Missouri State University we are beginning to work on the content of the "museum rooms". Beth Bullock, an intern this semester, is researching the prehistoric elements of the Delaware Town area. She has been looking at artifacts in CAR's collection and using research materials in our library. The Prehistory of Missouri by O'Brien and Wood is an excellent resource. She is also working with an article in a 1956 volume of The Missouri Archaeologist about the Delaware Bridge Cairn Site. As Beth goes through the artifacts she will be selecting items to include in the Prehistoric Occupation page.

Doug Seneker Analyzes Ammunition

Doug Seneker, a member of the Ozarks Chapter of the Missouri Archaeological Society, came to CAR yesterday to analyze the ammunition related artifacts found in the Delaware Town area. We are interested in identifying Civil War era lead bullets, lead balls, and metal artifacts that may be parts of weapons. Dr. Jones and Dr. Lopinot are interested in identifying the location Sigel crossed the James River when he retreated south from the Battle of Wilson's Creek. Confederate troops ambushed Sigel and his men after they crossed the river in the Delaware Town area. The location of Civil War era ammunition will help pinpoint this action.

The lead balls were weighed in grams and then converted to grains. By measuring the diameter he determined the caliber. He also looks at details such as rings or grooves, rifling, and damage. One of the first conical bullets he looked at was a 52calliber Sharps Ringtail. Another interesting piece was a brass 12mm Pinfire, one of the earliest metal cartridge designs. Mr. Seneker said it was made in France and was probably used by an officer.

Planning the Web Site

The last few weeks have involved a number of discussions about the appearance and design of the web site "Where the Wilson Meets the James." The site will have pages for different archeaological sites associated with different cultural groups, occupations, or events. In addition, we want thumbnails of associated artifacts and documents to enlarge with additional information. It took a while for me to understand how a web page is designed to change and connect. Once I understood I began looking at different web sites for ideas. I found the Nelson- Atkins Art Museum site very appealing ( http://www.nelson-atkins.org/welcome/FAQ.cfm) . With that in mind I have started the process of design with the Publications Department at Missouri State University.

Last Week of Field School

The last week of the 2007 Field School was spent at the Delaware Town area. Identifying the location of the ambush upon Sigel's troops as they retreated from the Battle of Wilson's Creek was the primary investigation goal. Metal detecting and shovel tests were conducted over a large area to locate artifacts that would identify the area of the ambush. This will also provide information that will help locate the old roads in the area. The data has yet to be analyzed. We are looking forward to Dr. Jones interpretation of the research.

Inventory of Past Field School Artifacts

Beth Bullock, a senior Anthropology student, has been inventorying the artifact collection from the 1999 and 2000 Delaware Town field schools. Beth is planning a three hour internship at CAR in the fall to help select artifacts and documents for the virtual museum and write text for the pages. She will work closely with Dr. Holly Jones preparing the content for the website.

Subject Overview

The map below shows the approximate location of the Trail of Tears, Wire Road, Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, and Delaware Town. The Delaware Indians settled along the James River in the 1820's. The Cherokee moved through Greene and Christian Counties on the Trail of Tears in 1838. Documents place the Trail of Tears near the Danforth House in eastern Greene County and at Bell Tavern near the Delaware Town Bridge in nothern Christian County. Events during the battle at Wilson's Creek also took place in the Delaware Town area. The artifacts shown in the slide show are from the Bell Tavern archaeological site.


(Map is based on one prepared by the Greene County Historical Society in 1983, art work by Doris Waddell)

New Blog Template

We are trying out a new blog Template which we feel is a style that is a closer match to the soon to be Delaware Town virtual museum (VM). Also, the light color background is easier on the eyes while reading than the black background of the previously used template.

This is still a work in progress and we welcome any suggestions.

In other news, we have started preliminary discussions pertaining to the layout and look of the VM. Furthermore, we will be meeting with MSU computer services next Monday to determine the viability our ideas. In preparation to this meeting I will be putting together a mock-up of the Web site which I will post here once finished. I'll also include some descriptions of the sites functionality (feedback needed)...so stay tuned.

-C

New Blog Feature

If you'll notice on the left of the web page we've just begun to implement a new feature. The slideshow is planned to display artifacts found in the Delaware Town area during field school excavations both past and present. We also plan to add the functionality to click on the picture. This will lead the viewer to another page with a larger picture and a brief explanation of the artifact displayed.

We are still working on the slideshow so bear with us as we fine tune the picture formatting and background...more picturers will follow.

Bell Tavern

Today, we spent the morning visiting this summer's field school which is conducting small-scale excavations at the Bell Tavern site. Bell Tavern was a stopping place on the Trail of Tears and is associated with Wilson's Trading Post which operated in Delaware Town roughly from the 1820's to the 1840's.




Pics:

Above- Field school students mapping an artifact found this morning at Bell Tavern.

Below- Saucer fragment also uncovered at Bell Tavern

Delaware Town Virtual Museum Grant Approved

Missouri State University (MSU) students, faculty and the Springfield community will soon have access to a virtual museum, “Where the Wilson Meets the James.” The Missouri Humanities Council (MHC) has awarded a grant of $5987.00 to The Center of Archaeological Research (CAR) at MSU, in support of the project. The MHC is the only state-wide agency in Missouri devoted exclusively to humanities education for citizens of all ages. It has served as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities since 1971.


The web page will allow visitors to explore the story of the people, cultures, and events that have left their mark on a piece of land southwest of Springfield, Missouri, where the Wilson Creek flows into the James River. The web page, linked to MSU and CAR’s websites, will be a series of pages containing photos of the site, text on the time period, and thumbnails of artifacts and historic documents, all accessible to the Springfield community. This area is associated with prehistoric occupation, Osage, Delaware and Cherokee Indians, Euro-American fur traders, early settlers, the White River Trace, the Trail of Tears, and the Civil War Battle of Wilson’s Creek. The website will be up and available to the public by March 2008.


Individuals interested in the project are invited to participate in the process of creating the virtual museum. A blog spot has been created at www.delawaretown.blogspot.com titled “Where the Wilson Meets the James.”


For more information about the grants program of the Missouri Humanities Council, call 314/781-9660 or 800/357-0909 or write to the MHC, 543 Hanley Industrial Court, Suite 205, St. Louis, Missouri 63144-1905.




Pic: Gail Emrie working with Missouri State University students at the Center for Archaeological Research identifying artifacts found during this summer's field school in the Delaware Town area.

Imagining a Virtual Museum

This is all an idea at this point, but imagine a museum that is about an archaeological site. It has layers like the site itself, and multiple sites, as Delaware Town does. Each layer is filled with information, work, artifacts, documents and conclusions about the people and cultures that occupied the site. That is the fascinating part. Putting the words together to get funding, doing the math, redoing the math, that is the work. But I have begun working on the idea and making it real. This is another first step. Thank you to Beth and Michael.