Dug up a Native American arrowhead in my backyard and kept it for 3 years before a friend set me straight

I found this perfect flint arrowhead back in 2020 while digging a hole for a fence post in my yard in St. Louis. Thought it was the coolest thing ever, so I tossed it on my bookshelf and showed it off whenever people came over. Then last month a buddy who works at the history museum came by and saw it. He asked if I reported it or even logged the location where I found it. I laughed and said no, why would I do that? He just stared at me and explained that by not recording where it came from, I basically destroyed any archaeological context that could tell researchers how old it was or what tribe might have been there. I felt like an idiot. Has anyone else accidentally done something like this before they knew better?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivan_harris8d ago

Tldr man I once took a cool rock from a hiking trail and put it in my pocket. Turned out it was part of a old stone wall boundary marker from the 1800s. I just wanted a neat souvenir and ended up basically stealing a piece of local history. The worst part is I still have it sitting on my desk like a trophy and I'm too embarrassed to give it back now. So yeah you're not alone in the accidental archaeology destruction club. At least your arrowhead was already dug up and not part of a wall that people actually mapped out.

pat_murray538d ago

@ivan_harris man that is rough. At this point you might as well keep it as a conversation starter and a reminder that you accidentally became a part time historical vandal. Maybe you can start a museum of guilt on your desk, one rock or arrowhead at a time. At least your story has a punchline about people mapping the wall while mine is just me staring at a rock that used to be a landmark.

angela_morgan8d ago

I think this kind of thing happens way more than people realize because we're just not taught to see everyday objects as part of something bigger. Like how I used to just toss old family photos without thinking about who might want them later, or how people throw away old letters without realizing they're basically throwing away history. It's like we're always learning the hard way that stuff has more meaning than we give it credit for at first glance.