Photo: Cast Iron Tool Still In Mold

A Unique Artifact Found In Ohio 

Prehistoric Wonder Found Near Chillicothe, Ohio

On June 30, 2003 the author of this blog, William Conner of Columbus, Ohio, identified a cast iron hand axe still in its partially broken mold.  The plugged pour hole can be seen in the middle of the object.  A black and white photo of this artifact was published in the author's book "Iron Age America: Before Columbus."   The casting was found on a natural terrace along the North Fork of Paint Creek west of Chillicothe, Ohio, the author's home town.

Turner Copper Smelting Furnaces

Amatuer Archaeologist Dr. Ellis Neiburger:

Ancient Copper Smelters Found Near Cincinnati

In my book "Iron Age America" I discuss evidence that large copper artifacts found at some prehistoric archaeological sites in North Ameria were made by hot working in furnaces.  Like the iron furnaces mentioned in my book, the copper furnaces were built by carving out bowls and air ducts in mounds, in creek banks and other nataual elevations.  In the case of mounds, there is reason to speculate that existing elevations were "borrowed" from their original purpose (burials) and used as furnace sites.  While Neiberger's work is discussed in detail in my book, his furnace diagrams were not included.  So these appear here with temperatures reached during his experimental test firings.

Neiburger's cross-section drawing of a Turner mound furnaces indicates their size and depth compared to man standing atop a mound:

My book "Iron Age America" also discusses evidence of copper smelting at Cahokia, the prehistoric "city" in Illinois across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.  It is significant that both prehistoric iron and copper works were found close to streams and rivers that were the "highways" of pre-Columbian America.

 

RUNIC RECORDS OF 'NORSE AMERICA'

By William D. Conner

Author of the book "Iron Age America"
Book available from online book sellers

In 1974 while a reporter and science columnist for the Springfield Daily News, Springfield, Ohio, I was at my desk in the news room when two men came to visit me.  Their visit resulted in a column "Science Scene," the title of my weekly science series.  

The visitors were author O.G. Landsverk and his crypt analyst, Alf Monge,' who had come to Ohio both to confer with me and visit Ohio archaeological sites.  Landsverk gave me a copy of his book "Runic Records of the Norsemen in America," and signed it with "Best Wishes, O.G. Landsverk, 4/25/74."  

Landsverk was especially interested in hearing about my work in the field with Arlington H. Mallery, author of "Lost America," his book about evidence of European peoples living in North America before Columbus arrived in 1492.  I assisted Mallery in 1963-64 as he hoped to obtain material from one of his old dig sites so it could be used for carbon-14 dating.  We did obtain some material at his old Overly furnace site in western Ross County near Frankfort, Ohio.

However,  Mallery's was unsuccessful in having the Overly charcoal dated.  As I explain in "Iron Age America: Before Columbus," I and my fellow members of the Archaeo-Pyrogenics Society organized to find and excavate pit furnace sites in Ohio, did manage to have some carbon material tested, the date we got back was completely absurd judging from history.  The date was 1640 -- at this time, England's tiny colonies in North America occupied a small band of it's east coast. (Some of my maternal ancestors were among them.)

Despite this, Mallery found other ways to obtain dating for some aspects of his work, as I explain in "Iron Age America."  And he did find substantial evidence of Norse occupation of Newfoundland sites.  This included iron artifacts he found on the surface amid traces of what Mallery believed were Norse longhouses, as I explain in detail in "Iron Age America."  

While these iron artifacts easily could be those left by the Norse long before 1492, it is now history that buried materials found Helge Ingstad in 1963 were accepted in the very area where Mallery had found his artifacts and longhouse sites above ground sites.

Here is what I wrote in 1974 in Science Scene about Landsverk's visit:

"A link between Ohio's prehistoric Indians and the Norsemen of Vinland is discussed in 'Runic Records of the Norsemen in America'

by O.G. Landsverk."

"The link is the 'Piqua Tablets,' discovered in an Indian Mound near Piqua, Ohio around 1910 by J.H. Rayner.  The two tablets contain 21 symbols, which Mr. Landsverk has identified as "closely resembling Norse runes."  Another symbol, a pictograph of a bow and arrow, is inscribed in one of the tablets."

"Commenting on his examination of the tablets, Landsverk said in

'Runic Records' that most of the 21 symbols in the Piqua inscription are entirely acceptable as likenesses of runes."  While he noted that while the Piqua symbols are meaningless in the sense that they do not form words in the language of the medieval Norse.

"However, Landsverk said that when interpreted as runes, the symbols of the Piqua Tablet translate to "U K T A NG G," "U (?) L K J K," "L L ? (U)," "I K," "A NG F."   And, all these were used by the Norse, he said.   The question marks represent symbols somewhat questionable as runes, but could be occasionally used forms of the rune "H."

"Runic Records," Landsverk said, was his third book on Norse dated cryptography.  Each of these books, he said, offer extensive proof, and I believe convincing proof that the Norse explored North America from the Atlantic coast to at least eastern Oklahoma.

This furnace was dug into an existing hillside overlooking Salt Creek in southeast Pickaway County, Ohio. Bricks lined the air inlet and also areas of loose furnace wall soil.

European In America Before 1492

DNA Proves European In America

Seven Centuries Before Columbus

As if other evidence I've offered in my book "Iron Age America," in my web site "America's Mysterious Furnaces" and this blog isn't enough to convince skeptics, I'm now adding laboratory proof of the presence of Europeans in pre-Columbian America.

In the book, I begin with Shawnee Indians telling a representative of the governor of Colonial Virgina that they could not give Virginians permission to settle in Kentucky because the region was "haunted by the ghosts of the Az Gens, a people "from the Eastern Sea (Atlantic Ocean).

I could have also mentioned that mitrochonial DNA and C14 dating confirmed a date of about 710 A.D. for the remains of a man found in one of the many cave shelters in the Bluegrass State. Kentucky rock shelters have long been studied by folks who are interested in evidence of the presence of Europeans in pre-Columbian North America. More information about this discovery can be found in the web site "Prehistoric West Virginia." Some of my fellow members of the Midwestern Epigraphic Society have made a number of visits to these caves to examine inscriptions on cave walls they believe were written in Ogam, ancient Old World Irish alphabet.

So here is proof of the Shawnee Indians telling the truth about the Az Gens, who certianly qualify as the probable Iron Age people who once lived in Ohio and who left behind evidence of their presence at the pit iron furnace sites and who also could have once resided at Spruce Hill in prehistoric Ross County.

Mallery Shows Furnace Dug Out By Flood

It is still a mystery today in 2010 as it was in the winter of 1949-50 why Ohio's prehistoric iron furnace pits were buried after being used. This one was located along Deer Creek, about 12 miles north of Chillicothe, Ohio.

On Line Book Stores Mini Review

Here is a typical web review of my book Iron Age America: "Author William Conner delves into the archaeological mystery surrounding the ancient iron furnaces of southern Ohio and other North American sites. Starting with the early theories of Arlington Mallery, Conner details the history of investigations into these strange sites up to the present day, touching on other controversial artifacts along the way."