Early Archaeology - Mound II

The first archaeological work at Owl Creek Mounds was supervised by Moreau Chambers in August, 1935. He was employed by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and assisted by Slater Gordon. E.T. Winston, a Pontotoc journalist and local historian, also helped. The crew, hired by the Federal Employment Relief Administration, was composed of local men.

Excerpt from Chambers' diary
Saturday, August 10, 1935

"During the morning I took Mr. Winston into Pontotoc to see about getting pay for the FERA laborers. To our dismay we learned that our work-week instead of being 48 hours in length is limited to 30 hours ... While we were in Pontotoc, I got some more gas and groceries on credit for ten dollars at the First National Bank of Pontotoc, having had my pocket money reduced to 17c through the necessity of carrying on the Survey with our personal funds."

(Diagram Caption)
Chambers' crew dug trenches from the edges to the centers of Mounds II, IV, and V. The excavations showed complicated layering, especially in Mound II, but few artifacts were recovered. A large hearth, with clay hardened by fire, was found at the bottom of the trench in Mound II.

(Left Image Caption)
1935. Chambers' crew standing in the trench in Mound II. E.T. Winston in the foreground, Wayne Harrison, James M. Watts, Wilson Dillard, Tom Crews, and Chastain Johnson in back.

(Right Image Caption)
In 1992, a crew cleaning the dirt out of Chambers' 1935 L-shaped trench in Mound II found a bottle with a note inside.

(Inscription of Note)
This mound excavated in the month of August, 1935 by Messrs. Moreau B. Chambers and Slater Gordon from the Mississippi Dept. Of Archives and History. Co-operating with Pontotoc County FERA organization - W.D. Hiddleston, Works Manager; E.T. Winston, Foreman of Labor; James W. Watts, Archaeological Expert.

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