Rarely in today’s times do we hear of a “killer” artifact being found close to our home. Conflicting emotions churn within us, as we yearn to get a glimpse of the relic and hear firsthand the events of the discovery.
And that’s exactly what happened when I heard of a shell dipper or “drinking cup” that had been found by a logger in southeastern Illinois. While dragging logs, he mistakenly thought he had uncovered a football, somehow lost in the riverside woods. But his next pass offered a different perspective, and he stopped just before crushing it with a timber skidder. The artifact was discovered at a Hopewell site near the mouth of the Wabash River, about four miles north of Illinois Highway 141, in 1999.
The cache discovery took place on an elevated region above the Wabash floodplain known locally as the “Dog Town Hills.” Situated on these hills and their eastern flank is the well-known Wilson Group and Village Site (#77000491), listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The site represents a Hopewell mortuary and village complex of the Middle Woodland period and is attributed to the Crab Orchard Tradition (Caldwell and Hall, 1977). The Wilson group, named after Ethel R. Wilson, consists of intermediate burial mounds perched on a north–south ridge that parallels the river. The small community of Rising Sun and the 2,000-year-old village site lie comfortably nestled between the river and the mound crest.
Likely to be a rare Hopewellian artifact, the logger’s extraordinary find left me burning to get a closer look. Being from a neighboring county, it was practically found in my backyard. Who isn’t passionate about seeing a newly discovered relic, especially from a hunting ground once known to collectors? The elusive glimpse I longed for finally came during a phone call. I must say, it was a gym of perfection that looked so surreal most would have questioned its authenticity.
Two views of a Hopewellian marine shell dipper showing the interior basin and exterior spiral of the whelk shell used to create the ceremonial vessel.
Figures 1–3. The Hopewellian Marine Dipper. The use of whelk shell from the Gulf of Mexico was widespread in prehistoric Midwest societies. These shells sometimes traveled a thousand miles or more to be utilized in gorgets, beads, and ceremonial objects. Early observers noted these “dippers” were used in the consumption of the ceremonial “black drink,” a beverage prepared from the leaves of yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria). The drink induced vomiting and was used in purification ceremonies to remove spiritual and physical contamination. Among some Native American groups, this ritual was practiced daily.
Volume 70, Number 3, July 2023 Central States Archaeological Journal
Figure 1. The Havana Hopewell V-shaped pipe. It measures 4½” in length x 2” in height x 1½” in width.
Almost a year ago, I acquired a beautiful Hopewell platform pipe (Figs. 1,2,3) from Gary Mumaw of Versailles, Ohio. Gary is a long time Ohio collector/dealer whose father was also a well-known collector. The documentation he passed along to me regarding the pipe included information that the pipe had been a surface find in Ross County, Ohio. Gary additionally told me he had owned this pipe for over 30 years.
The collecting world has been saturated over the years with hundreds (if not thousands) of modern reproductions (i.e. fakes) of Hopewell pipes. This is due to the scarcity and collectability of real examples. Most of these modern pipes are obvious replications, but some are made quite well. Gary Mumaw is a highly knowledgeable and experienced collector, but in order to not make a mistake, prior to purchasing, I showed this pipe to Steve Hart. Steve is one of the premier experts on prehistoric pipes and has the finest collection of pipes known. He assured me that it was a real example, and after some additional handling and examination there was no doubt in my mind the pipe was an authentic specimen. Not only is it made correctly, it has wonderful polish and most notably, a small bit of damage on the end opposite the stem hole (Fig. 4). This damage was obviously ancient, as it had patination and exhibited some ancient polishing over the damage. Obviously the original ancient owner(s) cared deeply for this pipe.
The pipe is reportedly from Ross County, Ohio. However, my research revealed that this was not possible. Current research has shown that nearly all of the pipes found in the Ohio area were made from non-local pipestones and only 6% were from locally sourced Feurt Hill pipestone. While this doesn’t rule out that this pipe was from Ohio, the pipestone this V-shaped pipe was made from is Sterling pipestone, which is red/brown-orange in color and comes from near the Rock River in Whiteside County, Illinois. Kenneth Farnsworth looked at 22 documented V-shaped pipes and uncovered that this material accounts for over 50% of this style. He noted there are two Havanna Hopewell sites near the source; Sinissippi and Propheter. Most likely the closeness of these sites to the source makes them ideal as the manufacturing centers for pipes of this material. I must further note that this pipe has a highly-arched base. Pipes from the same period found in the Ohio Hopewell area have a slightly curved base.¹
The Havana Hopewell culture was focused primarily in the central Illinois region, starting around 300 BC. The Ogden-Fette site near Lewiston in Fulton County once consisted of 35 mounds which were centered in a crescent-shaped enclosure. Extensive archaeological research over the past 150 years has revealed that this culture spread far beyond Illinois, extending into Iowa (The Toolesboro Mound Group in Louisa County), Mississippi (Bynum Mound group near Houston), West Virginia (Indian Mound Cemetery near Romney) and even out to Kansas (Trowbridge site in Kansas City). There is evidence of a far-flung trade network that sought out and funneled exotic materials to satisfy the desires of the powerful. Obsidian, shell, galena, mica, copper and even silver along with pipestone were utilized in making artful creations worn and possessed by the elite members of the society. The craftsmanship and extraordinary skills exhibited in these creations rank them equally with the other civilizations across the planet at the time.
¹ It should be noted that flat-based monitor pipes are a variety that occurs after the Hopewell period, during what is known as the Intrusive Mound (AD 500-900). Many times an Intrusive Mound period pipe is misidentified as Hopewell.
Figure 2. The pipe from above.
Bottom view of a Havana Hopewell V-shaped platform pipe, displaying its gently tapered base and polished brown-red pipestone surface. This view highlights the careful shaping and finishing typical of Hopewell ceremonial pipes from central Illinois (circa 50 BC–AD 250). A measurement scale is included for reference, emphasizing the pipe’s proportions and craftsmanship.
Figure 3. The pipe from the bottom.
Further research carried out by Kenneth Farnsworth and Brad Koldehoff reveals that this highly-arched V-base style starts early in the Hopewell tradition (50 BC–AD 250). Manufacture and use is primarily focused along the Mississippi River in Illinois, along with several sites along the Ohio River in Hardin, Posey, Wabash and Knox Counties in Illinois as well as Posey County, Indiana.
The information Gary shared with me stated that a gentleman by the name of Wayne Franks (1935–2010) found the pipe and sold it to George Cull (1930–2015), of Portland, Indiana. Some research by Steve Hart uncovered that Mr. Cull had an antique store known as The Green Door Antique Shop in Portland, Indiana.
I researched Wayne Franks, and discovered he lived in Robinson Township in Posey County, Indiana. This was a big plus, as there are no known Havana Hopewell sites near Portland, Indiana where George Cull lived. I discovered that Mr. Franks had died in 2010 and his obituary included “He was an antique dealer in the Robinson area for over 40 years”. This would provide a direct connection with George Cull who was also an antique dealer!
The final revelation is that two “known” Havana style pipes have been found in Posey County, Indiana, including one from the Mann Site (known as pipe VP-19). This specimen has a plain bowl and is nearly identical in form to the pipe that is the subject of this paper.
In conclusion, research shows that most likely, Wayne Franks did not find the pipe. He had an antique store and someone walked in one day with this pipe. Wayne started his antique business in 1970. Wayne bought the pipe from the finder and later showed it to his friend and fellow antique dealer George Cull. George loved the pipe, acquired it from him, and a few years later, around 1990, he encountered Gary Mumaw and sold it to him. George did not know of the Havana Hopewell connection and I presume the assumption was that this “Hopewell” pipe came from Ross County, Ohio. Gary, being an Ohio collector, believed the story, as it “made sense”.
Since Posey County, Indiana has evidence of other pipes identical to this pipe, it is likely to be the real location where this pipe was found. Who found it, exactly where and when are now lost to history. But at least the general area is most likely correct.
I have seen through the years that the locations of where artifacts have been found can become confused and mixed up. Sometimes this occurs because the “sale” of an item is easier to a collector who wants it to be from his area.² At other times something is mislabeled or mis-cataloged. Finally some collectors just don’t care where it is from. I heard that collector Julian Gentry nearly always removed all information from an artifact because he didn’t like the look of writing on “his rocks”.
Research cannot answer all questions, but in this case, it certainly points to a believable conclusion. This V-Shaped Havana Hopewell pipe is most likely from Posey County, Indiana.
Figure 4. Repolished damage at the prow of the pipe.
References: Farnsworth, Kenneth B., Koldehoff, Brad H. 2018 From Tubes to Platforms. in Archaeology and Ancient Religion in the American Midcontinent. Koldehoff and Pauketat editors. University of Alabama Press
Farnsworth, Kenneth B., Emerson, Thomas E., Hughes, Randall E. 2021 Havana Tradition Platform Pipe Production and Disposition: Implications for Interpreting Regional Variation in Midwestern Hopewell Ceremonialism. Cambridge University Press Online: June 11, 2021.
Hart, Steve 2021 Personal communication
² I have heard a story that noted collector Gordon Meuser wanted everything he collected to be from Ohio. If it came from Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania etc., he would slightly alter the provenance to be Ohio.
