Well, that was one of my speculations also (I mentioned it in one of my
previous posts).  That the kid grew up, perhaps moved out...or the mom
was just mad at all the clutter...and tossed it out.  Yet, in those
days..he could have easily retreived it all from the dump just across
the yard (down the slope?).  So, it may have been a mutual cleaning...or
after he'd moved out. ??

My dad's large (qty) projectile pt collection - from S. Dakota farm land
- was sold off by his brother when my dad went in to the Navy in 1938.
As if he wasn't coming back??  My uncle also sold my dad's Indian Head
pennys and Buffalo nickels...and his rifle.  How nice of him.  And no,
he didn't give my dad any of the profit...not even later in life.  I was
more irritated by it than my dad seemed to be tho.  He never asked his
brother for compensation. 

>-----Original Message-----
>From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On 
>Behalf Of Andy Sewell
>Sent: Monday, August 06, 2007 12:08 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: of railroad spikes and such
>
>It seems to me that such clusters of odd artifacts in a dump 
>may represent collecting activity - but instead of being 
>deposited by the collector, they could represent a frustrated 
>mother getting rid of a box of "junk" collected by her 
>children and gathering space in a closet. I know that's what 
>happened to my dad's projectile point collection from the old 
>farm in East St.
>Louis...
>
>Andrew R. Sewell, MS, RPA
>Principal Investigator
>Historical/Industrial Archaeology
>Hardlines Design Company
>4608 Indianola Avenue
>Columbus, Ohio 43214
>ph. (614)-784-8733
>fax (614)-784-9336
>