Once Upon a Time, 5,000 years ago …

Late last year, we hosted Del Barnett, Archeology Steward, Texas Historical Commission, who spent the day with us completing an archeological survey of the Duncan Ranch.

Our day started at the Payne Gap Schoolhouse, where we spent some time analyzing the fossil life in the stone walls. We also dug around the environs of the schoolhouse looking for evidence of the original, wooden schoolhouse that burned in 1938 (more details of this event included in Payne Gap School History, 1887-1943). We found no conclusive remains of the structure.

Our next stop was a my dad’s house, where we examined his collection of arrowheads. Del came equipped with a copy of Stone Artifacts of Texas Indians, an essential tool for folk trying to identify these artifacts. Even with this indispensable guide, identification can be tricky. There were many objects in dad’s collection that blurred categories. A handful of the more interesting examples I’ve included on this page.

The final part of the day took us on top of the hill behind dad’s house to learn about the burned rock midden, which as a kid I remember being told was a burial mound. Not so. Del lays out the details of this fascinating feature and reveals what it tells us about the people who used it in the video above.