MS-278
The Miami County Archaeological Society – Harry Hopkins Collection
INTRODUCTION
The Miami County Archaeological Society – Harry Hopkins Collection was accessioned into the Piqua Public Library Archives and Special Collections on June 18, 2019. The collection came as the result of a donation by Roger A. Hopkins. The rights to the collection have been deeded over to the Piqua Public Library Archives and Special Collections. The materials are available to our patrons for their research. There are no known restrictions on the use of these materials. The collection is housed in two Hollinger boxes containing sixty-five files. The collection was processed in September 2019 by Gary D. Meek.
HISTORY
The Miami County Archaeological Society was organized in early 1961, by a group of nineteen Miami County people interested in Archaeological findings in this area. It met every other month at Tipp Library, Tipp City, Ohio and at other places or dig sites.
In 1972, the name and legal status was changed from the Miami County Archaeological Society to the Miami River Valley Archaeological Society Chapter of the Ohio Archaeological Society.
Plans for a Log Museum at Indian Hills 4-H Camp were started in 1962. The logs were obtained from a log structure within the old barn on the camp site. The puncheon flooring was part of the floor of the old barn. As far as can be determined the barn was erected around the mid 1800’s. With many donations of time, money, and materials from interested people in the County, the Log Museum was erected. Many people donated or loaned artifacts for the museum which was maintained by the Miami River Valley Chapter. At the time the museum opened the officers of the society were: Harry Hopkins, President; James Griffith, Vice President; Mrs. James Griffith, Secretary/Treasurer.
The society continued but with declining membership through the 1970’s. On August 17, 1980 the society, with only 6 or 7 members, decided to formally disband and notified the Ohio Archaeological Society of their action. In the second half of the 1980’s there was an attempt to reconstitute the Miami County Archaeological Society. Once again Mr. Harry Hopkins was a leader in the reconstituted society. The society continued until sometime after 1990 when it ceased to meet. The Museum building is still standing at the Pleasant Hill 4-H Camp and has some of the artifacts remaining in it. The majority of the artifacts were returned to the original donors.
SCOPE and CONTENT
The Miami County Archaeological Society – Harry Hopkins Collections is divided into the following nine series:
SERIES I: Meeting Minutes – Box 1, Files 1-10
SERIES II: Constitutions – Box 1, Files 11-16
SERIES III: Miami County Archaeological Society lists of Members and Officers – Box 1, Files 17-20
SERIES IV: Correspondence – Box 1, Files 21-24
SERIES V: Minutes and other documents of the Committees of the Miami County Archaeological Society – Box 1, Files 25-28
SERIES VI: Miami County Archaeological Society Museum at the Pleasant Hill 4-H Camp – Box 1, Files 29-36
SERIES VII: Miscellaneous Documents found in the collection – Box 1, Files 37-42
SERIES VIII: Professional Pamphlets, Books and Articles Cut from Magazines – Box 2, Files 1-17
SERIES IX: Miami County Archaeological Society Program Scrapbook, 1967-1972 – Box 2, Files 18-23
CONTAINER LIST
SERIES I: Meeting Minutes
BOX 1
File 1 Minutes of the meetings of the Miami County Archaeological Society for 1961.
NOTE: The society began with an exploratory meeting, February 26, 1961, attended by 19 persons at the Piqua Chamber of Commerce. The first formal meeting was held on March 19, 1961 with the following officers: President – Harry Hopkins; Vice President – Lynn Bierly; Recording Secretary – Mrs. Wayne Overholser; Treasurer – Frank Dearth.
2 Minutes of meetings in 1962.
3 Minutes of meetings in 1963.
4 Minutes of meetings in 1964.
5 Minutes of meeting on January 10, 1965
6 Minutes of meeting on June 9, 1969 and Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee to
Consider the Needs for Additional Funds – November 27, 1969.
7 Minutes of meeting in March 1971
8 Minutes of the Miami River Valley Chapter of the Ohio Archaeological Society –
April 30, 1970 through August 17, 1980. The chapter was formed in a meeting at the home of Harry Hopkins. The chapter drew its members primarily for southern Miami County and northern Montgomery County. There are lists of names and addresses spread throughout the minutes. By August 1980 the group was down to eleven members and had witnessed the death of several key members. At the August 17, 1980 meeting it was decided to disband as a formal chapter and a letter to that effect was sent to the Ohio Archaeological Society.
9 Minutes of meetings on October 30, 1988 and February 12, 1989 of the reconstituted
Miami County Archaeological Society.
10 Notes taken by various individuals to be included in the minutes of the Miami County
Archaeological Society in the years 1970 through 1972.
SERIES II: Constitutions
File 11 Constitution as revised on March 17, 1963
12 Suggested amendments and Proposed Revision of the Constitution in 1966
13 Constitution as revised in 1966.
14 Appendix “A” and “B” to the Constitution adopted October 10, 1968
15 Constitution with Article 15 of the By-Laws added and proposals for additions of
Articles 16, 17 and 18 to the By-Laws. In this constitution the Articles and By-Laws are number with Arabic numerals. Date of this constitution is c. 1970
16 Constitution with Articles 16 and 17 added to the By-Laws. Date of this constitution is c. 1971.
BOX 1
SERIES III: Miami County Archaeological Society lists of Members and Officers
File 17 Lists of Members – 1963-1965
18 Lists of Members – 1966-1973
19 Lists of Society Officers – 1963-1971. Note: other lists of officers can be found in the society minutes.
20 List of Visitors and Exhibiters at the Miami County Archaeological Society Show and Sale held April 25, 1965.
SERIES IV: Correspondence
File 21 Correspondence 1961-1962
22 Correspondence 1963-1965
23 Correspondence 1966-1968 – there are three letters to the society from PFC William
L. “Bill” Gilmore of Co. “C”, 1st BN, 14 Infantry. The letters are written from Vietnam. The first is from an advanced training area (location no identified or date). The second is dated February 28, 1966 and is written from Pleiku, Vietnam. The third is dated June 2, 1966 and is written from Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam.
24 Correspondence 1969-1972
SERIES V: Minutes and other documents of the Committees of the Miami County
Archaeological Society
File 25 Minutes of Executive Committee meetings – June 7, 1961 through December 10, 1964.
26 Field Committee minutes, notes and procedures – 1962
27 Field Committee notes on excavation sites in Miami County.
28 Field Committee record of excavations and two copies of a photograph submitted to
the Stillwater Advertiser.
SERIES VI: Miami County Archaeological Society Museum at the Pleasant Hill 4-H Camp.
File 29 Suggestions for the Proposed Agreement between the 4-H Camp, Inc. and the Miami
County Archaeological Society regarding the erection of a log building for use as a museum on the 4-H Camp site.
30 Communications with the State of Ohio Department of Industrial Relations Division
of Factory and Building Inspection, including plans for the building and two copies of the Certificate of Plan Approval, dated October 25, 1963.
31 Lists of materials donated to build the museum.
32 Lists of artifact donations for exhibit in the museum and their donors.
33 Lists of artifacts and equipment to be put into the museum.
34 Instructions for the time capsule buried on the museum site in 1963.
35 List of artifacts in the traveling exhibit taken to schools and elsewhere. Also, pen and
ink drawing on a paper plate entitled “Our Great American Indian” and drawn by Gladys Gibson Griffith in 1964.
36 Brief history of the Miami River Valley Archaeological and the Log Museum.
BOX 1
SERIES VII: Miscellaneous Documents found in the collection
File 37 Three New Year’s letters to Roger A. Hopkins from Jean Sampson – 1991, 1993 & c. 2000
38 Savings Account Statement from Miami Citizens National Bank for Miami County
Archaeological Society, dated May 15, 1973, showing a withdrawal of $164.47 on May 7, 1973 and the account closed.
39 [1] Two blank membership cards in Miami County Archaeological Society.
[2] Presentations on Adena and Hopewell mound builders.
[3] Certificate of Participation in the Troy Sesquicentennial Parade, September 19, 1964.
[4] Notes on ancient burial mounds found in Beers History of Miami County – 1880
[5] Archaeological Bibliography taken from an article in Holiday Magazine
[6] Post card notice of a meeting April 30, 1970 – sent to Mr. & Mrs. James Griffith.
[7] Newspaper article entitled “Colonel Johnston and ‘Upper Piqua.’”
[8] Newspaper article entitled “Archaeological Society Hears of Ice Age.”
40 Piqua Historical Museum
[1] Two newspaper articles about the preparations and renovations being done at 509
N. Main Street for the opening of the Piqua Historical Museum.
[2] Two copies of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Piqua Historical Museum.
[3] Three copies (each slightly different) of the Piqua Historical Museum Directors.
[4] Museum Open House, May 1, 1983, and dedication of the Horace Rollins Art
Gallery Room on the second floor – Introductory remarks by Harry Hopkins, President of the Piqua Historical Museum.
[5] Letter from Piqua Schools Superintendent Duane Bachman to Harry Hopkins,
President of Piqua Historical Museum, congratulating Mr. Hopkins on the very successful Open House.
41 Pamphlets, brochures and other documents.
[1] Castle Piatt Mac-A-Cheek
[2] Ohio Historical Society Publications – 1967
[3] The Indian Relic Collection of George C. Kiefer – Piqua, Ohio
[4] The Archaeological Society of Ohio membership application
[5] Vic’s Indian Relics – An Indian Version of the Twenty-Third Psalm
[6] The Archaeological Society of Ohio Constitution and By-Laws – 1972 (2 copies)
[7] The 1964 Crisis for Seneca Indians
[8] The Newark Earthworks
[9] Flint, Ohio’s Official Gemstone
[10] BC 6000-4700 early tools
[11] An Ohio map showing the locations and types of flint deposits
[12] Flint Criteria from Palaeo Indian Survey
42 Miscellaneous Maps
[1] Ohio in the War of 1812
[2] Ohio Landform Map – 1956
[3] Map of Ohio Showing Principal Streams and their Drainage Areas – 1957
[4] State of Ohio Department of Highways, Department of Natural Resources,
Division of Geological Survey – Piqua West Quadrangle – 1961
[5] Township 1, Ranges 10 & 11 Miami River Survey – Staunton Township, Miami County
[6] Northern half of Newbury Township, Miami County
[7] Map and notes on Indian encampments in Miami County and Wabash County, Indiana
[8] Map Showing Location of Important Indian Tribes in Pre-Colonial Times
[9] Map of Indian Tribes, Reservations and Settlements in the United States (1925-1950)
[10] Landforms of the United States (1957)
[11] United States in the Caribbean and Greater United States – prior to 1950
[12] Westward Movement in North America 1763-1803 and 1803-1829
[13] Hand drawn map of southern Israel south of the Jabor River and including Jordan,
and Egypt – the map shows the location of the discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The map is drawn on the back of a map of Southern Miami County, Clark County, Greene County and Montgomery County, Ohio.
[14] Notes on the Dead Sea Scrolls.
SERIES VIII: Professional Pamphlets, Books and Articles Cut from Magazines
BOX 2
File 1 Pamphlet – “Anthropology (Including Archeology, Ethnology and Philology)”,
Publications Distribution Section Editorial, and Publications Division Smithsonian Institution, Washington 25, D.C.
2 Eastern States Archeological Federation, Bulletin No. 25, May, 1966 – Minutes of the
Annual Meeting.
3 Problems and Basic Assumptions in C-14 Dating, by Claude Britt, Jr. – Reprinted
from The Compass of Sigma Gamma Epsilon, Vol. 43, No. 4, May 1966 (4 copies).
4 Birdstones of the North American Indian – “Ohio Birdstones Having Long Bodies
without Prominent Ta8ils and Having Cylindrical Eyes on Short Heads.
5 The Use of the Airbrasive Process for Cleaning Ethnological Materials, by Bethune
M. Gibson – 1969
6 Indian Chiefs of Ohio – folder cover – the drawings of the chiefs are missing. On the
front cover is a drawing of Col. Bouquet negotiating with the Indians on the Muskingum River, by Benjamin West, 1766. On the back cover is a picture of the Fallen Timbers State Memorial Monument. (2 copies)
7 A Map of Ohio Indian Village Sites and Trails with a Chronological Listing of
Important Dates and Events in the History of Early Ohio Tribes.
8 Digging Up the Past, by Aaron M. Levin – from the Saturday Evening Post, March 1980
9 Survey of Ohio Fluted Points – a series of nine pamphlets issued between May 1960
and July 1963 by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
10 Mound Explorations, pages 667-702. This is a section taken from a book (title not
determined). The name “Thomas” appears at the top of the odd numbered pages. The following topics are covered in this excerpt:
[1] Similarity of Fortifications, Etc. – pages 667-671
[2] Similarity in Burial Customs – pages 671-679
[3] Similarity of Habits and Customs – pages 680-684
[4] Similarity of Shell Ornaments – pages 684-686
[5] Similarity of Smoking Habits – pages 687
[6] Links Connecting the Indians Directly With the Mound Builders – pages 688-702
11 State Memorials administered by the Ohio Historical Society:
[1] Schoenbrunn Village
[2] Fort Ancient
12 Material collected on publication and how to set up a newsletter.
13 A badly battered copy of Report of the National Museum 1997, pages 823-988.
“Arrow Points, Spearheads and Knives.”
14 Articles on Biblical Archaeology from the International Journal of Religious
Education, February 1963:
[1] “Going Back in Time” by Gerald A. Larue
[3] “Light Shed on the Bible” by Walter G. Williams
15 Pages containing articles on “Buttons” and “Button Collecting.” These pages were
either torn or cut from the magazine, Hobbies – The Magazine for Collectors. 1960-1963
16 Pages containing articles on “Indian Relics.” These pages were either torn or cut from
the magazine, Hobbies – The Magazine for Collectors. 1956, 1960-1963
17 State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company, General Liability Policy to cover
accidents and activities at the Log Museum on the grounds of the 4-H Camp at Pleasant Hill, Ohio – dated October 1, 1968 through October 1, 1971.
SERIES IX: Miami County Archaeological Society Program Scrapbook, 1967-1972
File 18 Page 1 – 1968 Calendar with events marked on it.
19 Pages 2 & 3 – newspapers to send announce of society meetings and events.
20 Pages 4-19 – Materials from 1967
21 Pages 20-34 – Materials from 1968
22 Pages 34-48 – Materials from 1969-1972
23 Pages 49-75 – Miscellaneous materials placed in the book with random dates from
1964 to 1971.