Grandpa’s Collection	by Jason Pentrail
Central States Archaeological Societies 2024 October Journal	Charleston, South Carolina

This excerpt from "Grandpa’s Collection" published in the 2024 Central States Archaeological Societies 2024 October Journal Read the complete column in the Central States Archaeological Societies 2024 October Journal which can be purchased on-line after March 2025

 

 

In 1890, Peter A. Devine, my grandfather, was born in Cooper County Missouri, near Clifton City. Sadly, he passed in 1955, prior to my birth. Therefore, I never met him. In the early 1900s the Devine family held land and raised cattle in the area. Peter was a carpenter by trade and created some beautiful objects, including a carved walnut sun goddess that continues to be held as a family heirloom/treasure to this day.

Peter also found great pleasure in hunting and collecting Indian artifacts, which were plentiful in the area. He was able to hunt extensive Indian campsites and mounds throughout the central Missouri area and beyond. He also traveled into Cross County, Arkansas, to dig for pottery. There are family pictures (Fig. 1) of his wife, my grandmother, and her step-mother holding some of the pots that he had dug. During the depression era, carpentry jobs were hard to find and he found himself with time to hunt artifacts.

In 1934 the Missouri Archaeological Society was founded. He was one of several original members of the society and enjoyed meeting collectors from all over the state. The society held displays and educational shows during the 10 days of the Missouri State Fair and due to the close proximity to his home, he found great joy in attending the fair and supporting the society’s mission to educate the public about the Indian artifacts of the state.

In approximately 1935, he was contacted by In approximately 1935, he was contacted by J.G. Braecklein from Kansas City, Missouri about selling his collection. Braecklein indicated a woman, Jessie Welles Murray, from Pennsylvania, was buying collections for the Tioga Point Museum in Athens, Pennsylvania. The family has few details about the purchase of his collection, other than a newspaper clipping about Peter A. Devine selling his collection to a museum in Pennsylvania.

In 2016, after doing some research to ...

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