Click on each slides to see the types of artifacts that were recovered during the excavation of Russell Cave.
The first excavation of Russell Cave was not done by professional archeologists. Paul H. Brown, a member of the Tennessee Archeological Society, noticed a cave close to the area where he and a crew of powerline surveyors were working. Two years later, still intrigued by the site, Brown took along a fellow member of the Society back to the area. They approached Mr. Oscar Ridley, the landowner at the time, for his permission for them to access the area and excavate the cave. Once the permission was granted, Paul and three other members of the society, Charles K. Peacock, LeBaron Pahmeyer, and J.B. Graham began their excavation. The group dug several small pits inside the cave shelter, some of which were as deep as 7 feet. They found a plethora of artifacts; stone points, bone tools, potsherds, and shell ornaments.
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Last updated: February 15, 2022