Autumn time is artifact time
Autumn officially begins Sept. 22, but for my little family it begins as soon as the air starts to turn crisp.
Last week, we had one of those days, the air conditioner was turned off, there were screens in the windows; inviting a cool breeze, and I was inspired to make beans, fried potatoes and cornbread, as you can tell, even a hint of autumn makes us happy.
It is a busy time of year; farmers harvesting crops, folks cutting wood for their families to keep warm this winter, and a lot of our friends are busy canning.
It’s a time for bonfires, flannel shirts, and deer season. But for artifact and relic-hunters, such as myself, that means “history-finding-season” is in full bloom!
Metal detecting, bottle digging Indian artifact hunting, and creek walking for everything else, including fossils: It’s what makes this time of year mean so much to my family, and helps us understand this history of our region while enjoying nature together and finding special treasures to pass down to our son. We take our two year old, Cassidy, with us to help him better understand the special culture of this part of Kentucky.
From artifacts left behind by Native Americans, who lived here for thousands of years, to old bottles and even Civil War era buttons, buckles and other items waiting to be unearthed, autumn provides a perfect time for finding artifacts of the past.
There’s a soybean field not far from where I live, off Morehead Road, where, with permission, I’ve found Native American artifacts from most of the different cultures that lived here.
The first time I looked the large field I found a large spear/ knife called a ‘dovetail’ that is from the early Archaic culture, not the oldest culture of Native Americans, but still one that archaeologists say inhabited northeast Kentucky between 9,000 and 7,000 years ago.
When I saw it, I knew immediately what it was and could tell it was complete and not broken. It’s a very intense feeling to pick up an artifact and know you are the first person to hold it in your hands for thousands of years. I always wonder about the last person to have touched it and used it and how it came to be lost.
I feel lucky to find Native American artifacts, especially when they are uncovered during farm field preparation and would likely be destroyed and lost forever within one or two years due to farm implements.
Autumn is perfect weather for metal detecting and bottle digging.
My late Grandpa had a Whites Metal Detector and I remember we would swing it around the creek on the farm. Usually we would find old pop caps and fence wire, until one day we found an Indian head penny! I can’t recall the date on it and I don’t remember what happened to it, but I will never forget those moments.
I still have that detector.
On that same 40-acre farm, there once stood a few homes from around the 1890s and bottle dumps were becoming increasingly popular. Like Indian artifacts, it’s wonderful feeling when uncovering a bottle, or old kitchenware that is still intact. Cassidy isn’t old enough to go bottle digging with us yet, but I can imagine digging in the dirt would easily become a favorite hobby of his.
I’m excited for Cassidy’s future, he will be able to pass these artifacts down to his children and tell them about his treasure hunting days as a young boy in Kentucky.
I love a crisp autumn day. I love to get my hands dirty. I love artifacts. I love nature. And I love “history-finding-season.
