Sec. Kluttz holds a piece of pottery used by slaves before the Civil War
Pottery used by slaves before the Civil War, tobacco pipes from the late 1700s and Native American tools that were thousands of years old were just a few of the fascinating objects Sec. Susan Kluttz saw up close at the State Archaeology Research Center last week. While at the center, the secretary got a tour from State Archaeologist Steve Claggett and Deputy State Archaeologist Dolores Hall and saw a sampling of the center’s collection of objects which range in time of origin from prehistoric times to 20th century.
Archaeology staff member Bonnie Johnson shows Sec. Kluttz a pipe stem dating technique
The center, which is part of Cultural Resources’ Office of State Archaeology, processes and stores material found at archaeological sites around the state. That material comes from a variety of sources including field work done at Cultural Resources historic sites, university collections and materials sent in by local officials and residents. In fact, anyone can send the Office materials for review free of charge. Though Sec. Kluttz saw some of the awesome technology the lab has, including a 3-D scanner and electrolysis equipment, she also saw how low-tech methods and archaeological know-how are central to the work of the lab that is mostly performed by volunteers. While on her tour, Sec. Kluttz observed Bonnie Johnson dating of pipe stems. Using a simple tool developed by Colonial Williamsburg, she was able to tell that the pipe stems she was working with dated to late 18th century. See some of cool equipment and artifacts Sec. Kluttz saw in the Flickr set from her tour.