2001-2002 Archeological Testing at the Blacksmith Shop and Mill

Four of the six new archeological features discovered during the 2000 survey of the northern portion of Van Hollow were tested during the summer of 2001 and the spring of 2002 in addition to additional geophysical investigations and testing in the mill complex area.

These excavations were conducted by a combination of AAS personnel, students from the University of Arkansas and volunteers from the Arkansas Archeological Society.

Features 30 & 31--The Blacksmith Shop

In June of 2001 two 1 meter by 2 meter excavation units were placed in what appeared to be a chimney fall found during the 2000 survey. These excavations revealed the foundations for a forge box belonging to a sizable blacksmith shop (Feature 31) and well as slag, iron tools and other debris associated with blacksmithing activities. A second concentration of materials found in shovel tests (Feature 30) was tested and interpreted as a scrap pile associated with the blacksmith shop.

Jami Lockhart of the Arkansas Archeological Survey conducted a geophysical survey in the area of the blacksmith shop and several of his anomalies were tested during the spring break excavations of 2002. These excavations revealed the foundation for a continuous back wall for the blacksmith shop and several areas of high metal concentration.

• For more information see the Blacksmith Shop page.
• See pictures of the 2002 Blacksmith Shop excavations.

Features 32--The Mule Paddock

Feature 32 was located during the secondary intuitive metal detector survey during the 2000 field season.  All the shovel tests excavated during the traditional, grid-spaced pedestrian survey in the vicinity of Feature 32 were negative.

Metal detector “hits” occurred on a relatively flat section of land just to the north of Little Clifty Creek--an area shown as a clearing on all aerial photographs of the area (dated 1946, 1954 and 1964) and the 1957 War Eagle quadrangle.

Plan view map showing the distribution of shovel test at Feature 32 (possible mule paddock).

Recovery of shovel tests excavated on the original metal detector hits were all mule shoes or large pennyweight cut nails leading to the interpretation of this feature as a potential mule paddock or possibly the barn mentioned in Conable’s (1903) description of the hollow.  Further investigations were aimed at assessing the identity of this feature as structural (i.e., a barn) or semi-structural (i.e., a paddock). 

Unfortunately, due to the ephemeral nature of the feature itself, traditional test excavation methods would probably prove unfruitful.  Similarly, Feature 32 is not a good candidate for archeo-geophysical investigation because of the current vegetation and frequent inundation.

Therefore, immediately following the initial survey a more intensive metal detector survey was conducted.  All hits were marked with pin flags and mapped using the Topcon digital theodolite in order to assess artifact patterning.  Shovel tests were then excavated over each mapped metal detector hit.  This approach was thought to afford investigators clues to the feature's function, form and date through artifact patterning and the recovery of diagnostic artifacts without resorting to wholesale destruction of the feature's faint subsurface archeological expression.

In all a total of 28 shovel tests were excavated during this intensive metal detector survey recovering a total of 43 (1046.70g) artifacts.  All recovered artifacts were, of course, metal.  Material recovered includes five mule shoes, 18 cut nails and cut nail fragments, seven large common cut nail “spikes” (i.e., 20d or greater), 2 wire nails, an apparent wrought nail, a fence staple, wire fragments, a large chain link fragment and a iron L-bracket.  Aside from the broad temporal significance of the wrought and cut nails, no diagnostic material culture was recovered from Feature 32.

Mill Complex Testing 2001-2002

Two geophysical surveys at the mill complex have been carried out. One in August of 2000 when soil conditions were comparatively dry and a second under more ideal condition prior to the 2002 spring break excavations. The figure to the left illustrates the location and size of the geophysical grids in relationship to the extant features of the mill. Geophysical technologies used include magnetometry, electrical resistance, and electromagnetic conductivity. No clearly defined foundation lines were evident in either geophysical survey.

Test excavations were conducted in 2001 and 2002 to ground-truth the geophysical surveys and to investigate the scattered anomalies recorded using the various technologies. A total of five one-meter-by-two-meter units were used to investigate these anomalies-all encountered sterile subsoil at a shallow level and recovered only a small number of artifacts associated with the mill operation. No foundation remnants or other cultural features were encountered in these test excavations. The imagery again suggested concentrations of metal and brick rubble confirmed by the excavations but no clearly delineated foundation lines. It was known that the mill had been dynamited to facilitate the salvage of scrap iron, and consequently iron is apparent on the surface and presumably just below the surface.

• For more information go to the mill complex excavations page.
• See pictures of the 2002 Mill Area excavations.