Magnometer Survey of McConnell's Station
Location: Bourbon County, Kentucky
Client: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
Date: 1998
CRA Project Manager: R. Berle Clay
Project Description: Prior to the excavation of McConnell's Station in Bourbon County, CRA conducted geophysical survey. A magnetometer survey of the station location was made with the Geoscan Research FM36 fluxgate gradiometer. Data were collected at 25-cm intervals along transects one meter apart. The results of this survey are presented in the first graphic (upper right). The principle feature of the station site is a substantial stone foundation (large white rectangle). In this graphic, the ground contours are indicated in red, always useful in the interpretation of geophysical survey data. Excavation reveals that this was a structure built in the eighteenth century and used well into the nineteenth century. The initial stone structure, and a later "ell" behind it, are clearly indicated in the magnetic survey by lows that reflect the nonmagnetic nature of the limestone used in the foundations. To the left is the floor area of an apparently later log cabin (small white rectangle).
The second graphic (lower right) presents a view of the structure after it had been excavated. In this application of geophysical survey techniques, the survey before excavation provided very precise information on the nature of the archaeological structure.
McConnell's Station is similar to Boone's Station in that both involved the construction of a substantial stone structure. At Boone's Station, though, there was a series of structures, suggesting a more complex history of use, perhaps by a larger group of pioneers. McConnell's, by way of contrast, was closely associated with a single family.
