Russell Cave National Monument

Russell Cave offers one of the longest and most complete archeological records in the eastern United States. The artifacts found here indicates intermittent human habitation for almost 10,000 years. Using carbon-14 dating techniques, researchers have dated the charcoal remains from fires uncovered at various depths. They could then date objects found at the same layer as a fire, gradually building up a continuous record. The initial excavation by the Tennessee Archeological Society in 1953 unearthed a great number of bone tools, jewelry and pottery fragments to a depth of 6 feet. The Smithsonian Institution, with financial support from the National Geographic Society, undertook another dig from 1956 to 1958. These excavations reached a depth of more than 32 feet. A third and final 10.5 foot excavation was done by the National Park Service in 1962 to fill out the archeological record and establish an on-site museum.