9,000-year-old artifacts tell Fermi site's prehistoric heritage
Augie's artifacts have come home.
Arrowheads, stone tools, and shards of pottery left on Fermilab's site 7,000 years before Christ comprise a new public exhibit.
"Augie" is August Mier, 86, a retired Batavia resident. The permanent display - about 100 items - represents 80 years of artifact collecting by Mier. In March 1978 he donated to Fermilab many pieces he discovered while walking the Fermilab 6,800 acre site over eight decades prior to the beginning of construction in 1968 of the world's largest research center for studying subatomic particles.
A portion of the exhibit is titled "The August J. Mier Collection," housed in wall-mounted showcases. The collection is located in the south corridor of the Central Laboratory's l5th floor.
Display panels in the Mier collection contain a photo and brief biography of Mier and a map showing 17 Fermilab sites where he discovered artifacts. Three panels feature 9" x 12" stainless steel frames containing pieces mounted by Mier on brightly-colored foam.
Another portion of the archaeological exhibit explains the findings of a study group headed by Dr. Ann Early. In the summers of 1970 and 1971, during construction of Fermilab, Dr. Early and a small group of students focused on five sites which revealed identifiable artifacts of prehistoric residents on the Fermilab site. The findings are explained in detail in a written study prepared by Dr. Early. A copy is available in the Fermilab Archives.
Earliest occupants of the Fermilab site, she said, were in the Archaic culture - 7,000 to 1500 B.C.; later cultures included the Woodland period, 1500 B.C. to 500 A.D., and Upper Mississippian, 1300 A.D. to 1600 A.D. Examples of the relics which led to her conclusions are shown in one cabinet of the exhibit. Miss Early, with the Arkansas Archaeological Survey at Henderson State College in the early 1970s, served as a consultant during the collection's preparation.
Mier previewed the exhibit in early June 1978. He said that Fermilab provides a suitable location for history buffs to learn about early area natives through his collected artifacts.
His scavenging efforts began, he said, to earn money for school supplies. Over the years, he estimated that he collected more than 6,500 arrowheads. The date, location and condition of each find was recorded in a log book.
Mier specialized in hunting "clipped wing" arrowheads. The points were triangular blades with wing-shaped edges. Because poison was sometimes applied to the edges by Indians, the arrowheads are also called "poison points."
For prospective arrowhead hunters, Mier recommended searching on high ground or near water - typical Indian campgrounds. The expert said arrowheads will be uncovered in Batavia area fields for the next 200 years.
The exhibit is a permanent addition to the tour facilities at Fermilab. It is open without charge to self-guided tourists.
