The George D. Barnes, Jr. collection at the Frank H. McClung Museum : a study of the research potential of a private collection in the public domain

This thesis addresses the problem of determining the research potential of an archaeological collection held in the public domain by the Frank H. McCiung Museum, the University of Tennessee, Knoxvilie. The collection was purchased in 1949 from the estate of George D. Barnes, Jr., a professional artifact miner who built the collection over the course of two years in the late 1930's. The collection contains over 3500 artifacts from prehistoric Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian periods, as well as Historic Period artifacts from archaeological sites located primarily in East Tennessee. The collection was built without the benefit of systematic excavation, and little documentation about the context from which these artifacts were recovered exists. This lack of provenience information impacts the overall utility of such a collection when addressing research questions about prehistoric lifeways. However, as archaeological sites available for study disappear, museum collections such as this gain new importance for research.

The collection was physically inventoried, and a database developed in order to facilitate access and manage curation. Past uses of the Barnes Collection, and other similar collections in the Southeast were studied, and the research potential of the Barnes Collection assessed and evaluated. Suggestions for future use and curation were offered.