Bone Bank Archaeological Research

The Bone Bank 2001 excavation team.

The rescue excavations were funded by a grant from the Wabash River Heritage Corridor Program. Thank you to the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (Jon Smith, Steve Kennedy, Rick Jones, Malia Savarino, and Amy Johnson) for administering this grant for the state, as well as for awarding the excavation permit. Special appreciation goes to the Four Rivers Resource, Conservation, and Development Area, Inc. (Peterburg, IN), which served as project sponsor, and to David Elgin, Executive Director. Sincere thanks to the Robert Lee Blaffer Trust for helping us meet the required matching cost share, and to regional organizations and government officials who supported this project.
[Bone Bank site, aerial view, October 2001. South Blocks 1 and 2 are near the south end of the site. The site extends north (left) beyond the cleared area along the bank at the top. The North Block excavated in 2000 is partly flooded.]

Gray Farms, Inc., owners of the property at the Bone Bank site, has cooperated in all stages of our research. Thanks especially to Mr. Thomas Ancona, land manager for the Locust Street Company of Evansville, who handled communications with Gray Farms. Tom took some of the photos on this page, including this overview of the work in South Blocks 1 and 2.

Canopy tents loaned by Indiana State University kept the excavators from baking during our early work in South Block 2. Thanks ISU, and Prof. C. Russell Stafford!

Portable sun shelters made shovel scraping less hot. Thank you to the Paul Weimer family.

Pumps were a key piece of equipment. Thank you to ISU for loaning us pumps in both 2000 and 2001, and also to Jack Mauldin of ISU for repairs.

Frank Parrish of Parrish Flying Service, Mt. Vernon, made it possible for us to take aerial photographs. We really appreciate your help, Frank.

Volunteers - including students and faculty from University of Southern Indiana, University of Evansville, and Indiana University - were an important part of the research team, from the clearing of the excavation area at the beginning of the project through screening the last bucket of dirt and packing up. Thank you everyone.

Don Mathew preparing to set up the water screening area before excavation began.