Among the ashes of a devastating fire, archaeologists uncover exciting insights into Ohio’s history. On December 7, 2024, a fire swept through the Overfield Tavern Museum of Southwest Ohio in Troy, destroying several historical items in the museum’s collection. But the fire also presented a unique opportunity: to excavate beneath the more than 200-year-old structure. While digging, a team of archaeologists discovered an 1817 50-cent coin, ceramics, Native American artifacts, and more under the charred floorboards.
He added that thousands of artifacts have been recovered and are currently being washed, cataloged and studied by archaeologists in preparation for preparing the investigation report. Executive Director M. Chris Manning He tells Popular Science.
The Overfield Tavern Museum is housed in a log building built by Benjamin and Margaret Overfield Built in 1808. The young couple immigrated to the Ohio frontier from eastern Pennsylvania in 1803, when Ohio became the 17th U.S. state.
“The tavern was the first building in Troy, and served as a tavern, inn, county courthouse for three years, and a general gathering place for the community,” Manning says.
It became Troy’s first courthouse in 1811 and remained a working tavern until 1824. In 1976, it became the Overfield Tavern Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
While the building The wooden walls survived the fireThe fire lost a large collection of historical artifacts dating back to the 19th century. After the fire, it became clear that in order to restore the historic pub, all the flooring would need to be ripped out and replaced. But it also represents an exciting opportunity for the museum’s board and staff to see what lies beneath the centuries-old wooden floor.
According to Manning, excavation work began earlier this month and lasted 10 days. A team of six archaeologists excavated several areas, including under the floorboards in three rooms of the pub. The archeology team also conducted ground-penetrating radar investigations in the backyard to identify anomalies before excavation began. One anomaly corresponds to an outbuilding that appears on historical maps, and the excavation unit has also examined this site.
“The 50-cent piece was found in 1817 under the floor inside the tavern, and may have been used to buy a drink or meal at the tavern when it was in operation,” Manning says. “We also found large quantities of animal bones, particularly pigs and fish, reflecting the diet of early inhabitants. We know that the Overfields owned 78 pigs in 1810, some of which were likely butchered at the site as evidenced by the discovery of pig jaw bones.”
Some other artifacts include a piece of a decorative smoking pipe; clay marble; Buttons made of bone, glass, metal, and veneer; Straight pins used to fasten clothes; A delicate finger ring; What appears to be a French gun shot; A wide range of broken ceramics from red porcelain to hand-painted pearlescent porcelain to printed white porcelain; and two broken prehistoric projectile points (arrowheads).
Many new discoveries will help renew the pub’s collections, while an architect specializing in timber structures will help rebuild and restore the historic pub. The total cost is Estimated at around $1 million.
“We hope to reopen the fully restored museum in late 2027,” says Manning. “Despite the devastation caused by the fire and the loss of priceless museum pieces, we are excited about the future and the opportunity to tell the story of Troy’s original gathering place better than ever before.”
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