To order images and/or obtain permission to use them commercially, please contact the KSHS Reference Desk at KSHS.reference@ks.gov or 785-272-8681, ext. 117.
For more information see the Copyright and Permission FAQ.
This mussel shell half was recovered from the Pottawatomi Mission in Shawnee County during excavations by Kansas Historical Society archeologists and crew in 1975. The hole was cut or drilled into the shell, but it isn't known whether desired result was the shell with a hole in it, or the cut-out portion, which could have been made into a bead or more likely a button. The Mission was built in 1850 with the purpose of teaching Potawatomi children reading, writing, and trade skills. After closing in 1861 the building served multiple purposes. The building and the surrounding land was purchased by the State of Kansas in 1973 and it remains on the site of the Kansas Historical Society.
Date: 1848-1861
Item Number: 507231
Call Number: 14SH325-124
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 507231
Collections - Archeology
Objects and Artifacts - Archeological Artifacts - Artifact Class - Shell
Objects and Artifacts - Personal Artifacts - Adornment
People - American Indians - Tribes - Potawatomi
Places - Counties - Shawnee
Places - Historic sites - Pottawatamie Mission
Thematic Time Period - Bleeding Kansas, 1854 - 1861
Thematic Time Period - Immigration and Settlement, 1854 - 1890
Thematic Time Period - Indian Territory, 1820 - 1854
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/507231