Artifact Report, Mary Ann Cole Site (12CR1) 1976

The USACE, Louisville District obtained the collection through an archaeological test excavation at the Mary Ann Cole Site in 1976. Mary Ann Cole Site was situated on a fluvial terrace of the Ohio River where the Blue River joins it in Crawford County in Indiana. With the discovery of the site, test excavation were undertaken to define the site and locate features. The site’s western boundary was indefinable due to the presence of the abandoned Corp of Engineers Lock and Dam No. 44 structures. The banks on both rivers experienced severe erosion in the vicinity of the site. Several features were located including fire hearth, postholes and large sections of a cord-marked vessel. The Mary Ann Cole Site had already been severely damaged by erosion of the riverbanks, it was apparent that the erosive force would completely destroy the site in a matter of years. In addition, this area was scheduled to become USACE, Public Use Site 8A and 9, for the Cannelton Locks and Dam Master Plan Development. The proposed construction would destroy the remaining portions of the Mary Ann Cole Site (McMichael 1976).