Blog

Findings In and Under ACHS&M

by Kelee Riesbeck, Executive Director, Athens County Historical Society \& Museum

Well this is embarrassing. Here I thought me, of all people, with always plenty to say, would be more forthright in submitting her blogs that she agreed to do every week. The only excuse I can offer is that our rather large and extensive remodeling project demanded more of my attention than I had planned. Namely, weve found a few things inside the highest reaches of the building as well as underneath the building that have made this particular renovation project intriguing.

One of the construction workers found what appeared to be animal bones while he was digging out the pit for the elevator we are installing. To make sure, we called Dr. Nancy Tatarek, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Ohio University. She is an expert in skeletal biology and is the instructor for some of ACHS&Ms student interns. She determined the bones were from a young horse. Next, an archeology student noticed some interesting-looking stone slabs in the pit that appeared to be purposefully set. So we called Dr. Elliot Abrams, a professor in the same department who specializes in Ohio Valley Archaeology. He determined that, since the North end of Court Street was home to many liveries, we had probably stumbled upon the edge of the livery building, making he horse bones make a lot more sense. Both neat things to have happen underneath the historical societys building.