[Illustration: The author John Moselage, center, with assistants
Charles Scheel, right, and Dan Printup, left.]
PREFACE
by
Carl H. Chapman
The events leading to the publication of the following report by John H.
Moselage has been one of the highlights of many years of work with
amateur archaeologists. At first meeting it seemed that he protested too
much that he wanted to do “real archaeology,” but this desire turned out
to be quite genuine. He really wanted help. He wanted to do the job
right at any cost.
Enthusiasm and determination clothed the man almost completely. Working
with him was a challenge. During the few days of vacation he could spend
with regular crews of professional archaeologists his quest for
knowledge, techniques, methods and the proper tools was almost
insatiable. Then followed long letters containing notes, profiles,
photographs and maps, to be criticized, and with each new step the
request for assurance of proper techniques and accepted methods before
moving ahead. Months stretched into years; bundles of detailed notes,
long letters of explanation, copies of hour by hour, day by day
descriptions of work and progress were frequently interspersed by long
distance calls to solve the problems in the field as they arose. His
telephone greeting was “Mr. Chapman, I’ve got a problem!” It was usually
thirty minutes to an hour later before a long distance operator could
once again clear the line between Missouri and Tennessee or Missouri and
Arkansas.
All his spare time, all the influence he could exert to get his friends
to join him, were used to progress the work. His determination carried
him through rain, mud, flood, and cold, in order to complete the job.
His enthusiasm and drive carried many others along with him to the
conclusion of the Lawhorn Site investigation.
Study of pottery types and projectile points became his steady reading
diet. Long hours were spent in washing, numbering and cataloging the
specimens from the digs. Analysis of the material through compilation of
ground plans of the excavation, of house structures, and of vertical
profiles was a tedious process necessitating the aid of many people. The
most generous of these in giving time, advise, and use of facilities was
Mr. Charles H. Nash.
The resulting report on the Lawhorn Site which follows is testimony to
the unstinting efforts that John Moselage has made. It is an outstanding
example of what can be done by a true amateur archaeologist and is a
worthy goal for other dedicated amateur archaeologists. The search for
knowledge has always led man to his greatest achievements. Research is
never-ending as knowledge in any area of endeavor is never complete. The
achievement in this instance is a solid contribution to the archaeology
of the Eastern United States.