From the ashes of a devastating fire, archaeologists uncover exciting information about Ohio’s history. On December 7, 2024, a fire ravaged the Overfield Tavern Museum in southwest Ohio’s Troy, destroying several historical items in the museum’s collection. But the fire also presented a unique opportunity: digging beneath the more than 200-year-old structure. During the excavation, a team of archaeologists discovered a 50-cent coin dating from 1817, Native American ceramics and artifacts, and much more beneath the charred boards.
“Thousands of artifacts have been recovered and are currently being washed, cataloged and studied by archaeologists in preparation for an investigative report,” said Executive Director, Mr. Chris Manning. Popular science.
The Overfield Tavern Museum is housed in a log building that Benjamin and Margaret Overfield built in 1808. The young couple emigrated 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 general gathering place for the community,” Manning explains.
It became Troy’s first courthouse in 1811 and remained an operating tavern until 1824. In 1976, the Overfield Tavern was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Although the building’s log walls survived the fire, a large collection of historical artifacts dating back to the 19th century was destroyed by the flames. After the fire, it became apparent that to restore the historic tavern, all of the flooring would have to be dismantled and replaced. But it also presented an exciting opportunity for the museum’s board and staff to see what lay beneath the centuries-old floorboards.
According to Manning, the excavation began earlier this month and lasted 10 days. A team of six archaeologists excavated several areas, including under the floors of three rooms of the tavern. The archeology team also conducted ground-penetrating radar investigations in the courtyard to identify anomalies before commencing excavations. One of the anomalies corresponded to a masonry outbuilding which appears on historical maps, and an excavation unit also investigated this site.
“The 1817 50-cent piece was found under the floor of the tavern and may have been used to purchase a drink or meal at the tavern when it was in operation,” says Manning. “We also found large quantities of animal bones, including pigs and fish, reflecting the diet of the early occupants. We know that the Overfields owned 78 pigs in 1810, some of which were likely slaughtered at the site, as indicated by the discovery of pig jaw bones.”
Some of the other notable artifacts include a decorated pipe fragment; clay balls; bone, glass, metal and shell buttons; straight pins used to fasten clothing; a delicate ring; what appears to be a French flint; a wide range of broken ceramics ranging from red objects to hand-painted beaded objects to white transfer-printed objects; and two broken prehistoric projectile points (arrowheads).
Many of the new discoveries will help replenish the tavern’s collections, while an architect specializing in log structures will help rebuild and restore the historic tavern. 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 of the fire and the loss of priceless museum artifacts, we are excited about the future and the opportunity we have to tell the story of Troy’s original gathering place even better than before.”
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