Journal of the Iowa Archeological Society
Volume 35, 1988
Stephen C. Lensink, Editor
The era of frontier lead production in the upper Mississippi valley was initiated by the French in the mid-seventeenth century and ended with the Americans in the mid-nineteenth century. Native American involvement with lead production began soon after the French entered the region and soon ended following America's first mineral "rush" into the lead region. This paper focuses on the technological changes in lead mining and smelting during the nearly two centuries of the frontier era, from both historical and archaeological perspectives. Archaeological examples of mines and smelters found within and near the Mines of Spain area, Dubuque County, Iowa, are presented and compared to the historical accounts. Several avenues of future research on aspects of frontier lead mining are suggested.
During the summer of 1978, investigations at Terrace Hill occurred under the direction of the Bureau of Historic Preservation, State Historical Society of Iowa. Excavations concentrated upon the former location of several greenhouses located south of the dwelling. They revealed the existence of one nineteenth-century greenhouse and multiple nineteenth- and early twentieth-century landscaping features. A desire to restore the grounds to their appearance during the nineteenth century initially stimulated the project. Affected by nineteenth-century people's views of nature and the city, the changing landscaping philosophy during the last third of the century became the focus of interpretation.
Archaeological investigations on the grounds of Terrace Hill were conducted by a research team from Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, from June 15 to July 15, 1981. Two basic problems were approached through documentary, photographic, and archaeological research. The first problem was concerned with the exact location and dimensions of a trilobed garden plot along the east-northeast corner of the Terrace Hill mansion. The second problem was to determine the exact dimensions and internal features of the large greenhouse located during excavations conducted by Joyce McKay in the summer of 1978. The following report details the investigations of the greenhouse and at least two other buildings, one of which is part of another greenhouse.
Historical Archaeology at Plum Grove
Thomas H. Charlton, Cynthia Otis Charlton, Stephen C. Lensink, James A. Sartain
pp. 40-69
Historic excatations have been conducted for several seasons at Plum Grove, the former residence of Robert Lucas, first Governor of the Territory of Iowa. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, Plum Grove has a hundred year history as a working farm, extending from 1844 to 1943. This report summarizes the results of the excavations conducted in 1974, 1978, 1979, and 1980 by The University of Iowa and archaeological investigations undertaken in 1976 by the Bureau of Historic Preservation, State Historical Society of Iowa. The principal results of these investigations include the following: (1) the footings of the 1872 porch and west wing were located and the building sequence for the west side of the Lucas house determined; (2) cultural deposits in the vicinity of the porch and west wing were dated, the earliest deposit dating before 1870; (3) the present kitchen was found to be part of the original Lucas house, but the pantry and the west wing were additions; (4) remains believed to be from the pre-1854 Lucas barn were located 30 meters south of the house, and the structure was found to consist of a large timbered building without footings; (5) the Lucas-period fence to the east of the house was tentatively confirmed by the presence of a steel replacement post; (6) butchered domestic animal remains were recovered immediately east of the house, suggesting household slaughtering from a yet undetermined time period; (7) the Lucas drive was not confirmed, but evidence for a post-1923 drive was encountered north of the Lucas house; (8) the Hoyt barn, built between 1866 and 1872 and dismantled in 1942, was located and the western half was completely excavated; (9) a large cistern associated with the Hoyt barn, and presumably dating to the later half of the nineteenth century, was uncovered, excavated, and mapped. Future work at Plum Grove is suggesteed in the form of a data recovery program involving sampling design.
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Book Reviews
William T. Billeck, Ed.
pp. 77-85
Journal of the Iowa Archeological Society
Webpage by Heidi M. Thunhorst, September 3, 2002.