From the ashes of a devastating fire, archaeologists reveal fascinating information about Ohio history. On December 7, 2024, a fire engulfed the Overfield Tavern Museum in southwest Ohio in Troy, destroying several historical artifacts from the museum's collection. But the fire also presented a unique opportunity: to excavate beneath a more than 200-year-old structure. During the excavation, a team of archaeologists discovered a 50-cent 1817 item, pottery, Native American artifacts and more under charred floorboards.
“Thousands of artifacts have been recovered and are currently being washed, cataloged and studied by archaeologists in preparation for the investigation report,” Executive Director M. Chris Manning tells Popular Science.
The Overfield Tavern Museum is located in a log building built by Benjamin and Margaret Overfield. built 1808. The young couple emigrated to the Ohio frontier from eastern Pennsylvania in 1803, when Ohio became the 17th state of the United States.
“The tavern was the first building in Troy and for three years served as a tavern, inn, county courthouse and general gathering place for the community,” Manning says.
It became Troy's first courthouse in 1811 and remained an active tavern until 1824. In 1976, the Overfield Tavern opened. listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
While the building the log walls survived the firea large collection of historical 19th-century artifacts inside were lost in the fire. After the fire, it became clear that in order to restore the historic tavern, all of the flooring would have to be removed and replaced. But it also provided the museum's council and staff with a great opportunity to see what lies beneath the centuries-old wooden floor.
The excavation began earlier this month and lasted 10 days, Manning said. A team of six archaeologists excavated several areas, including under the floorboards of three rooms of the tavern. The archaeological team also conducted a ground penetrating radar survey in the backyard to identify any anomalies before starting the excavation. One of the anomalies corresponded to a stone structure shown on historical maps, and the site was also investigated by the excavation team.
“An 1817 50-cent bill was found under the floor inside the tavern and may have been used to purchase drinks or food at the tavern when it was in business,” Manning says. “We also found large quantities of animal bones, especially pigs and fish, which reflect the diet of the early inhabitants. We know that in 1810 the Overfields owned 78 pigs, some of which were probably slaughtered at the site, as evidenced by the discovery of pig jaw bones.”
Some of the other notable artifacts include a fragment of a decorated smoking pipe; clay marbles; buttons made of bone, glass, metal and shell; straight pins used to fasten clothes; delicate finger ring; something similar to French flint; a wide range of broken ceramics, from red ware to hand-painted pearlware and transfer-printed white ware; and two broken prehistoric projectile points (arrowheads).
Many new finds will help add to the tavern's collections, and an architect who specializes in log buildings will help restore and restore the historic tavern. Total cost is estimated to be worth approximately $1 million.
“We hope to reopen the fully restored museum at the end of 2027,” Manning says. “Despite the devastating impact of the fire and the loss of priceless museum objects, we look forward to the future and the opportunity to tell the story of the original gathering place of Troy even better than before.”
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