50 years ago I was plowing a 4-plus acre field on the home farm. I kept hitting a rock layer with the plow not thinking anything of it until the front wheel of our old 8N Ford Tractor disappeared. I had just uncovered an old well and I had to clean my britches! The diameter of the well was about 3 feet and about 15 feet deep. I replaced the rocks and covered it again that was in 1963. I started detecting the area in the early 1970’s and to date we have recovered approximately 150 colonial buttons dating from the 1790’s to the 1830’s. A large portion are military flat buttons and the balance are just civilian buttons. We recovered 30 coins dating from 1790 to 1847. Two silver coins, one, a 1790 half reale, and the other an 1836 half dime. One of the large cents had two holes in it.

This coin was recovered in 2005. It is dated 1831. Tradition says that many times a coin was nailed to the framework giving the date when the cabin was built. The property has been researched back to John Reiley in 1842. About 2012, a golden cuff button was recovered with initials L.H.D. on it.

  

The 1830 Warren County census records indicate that a Louis H. Davis was the owner of the cuff button. He was a trustee in the village of Franklin Ohio, located about 10 miles from this site in 1814 and also owned a lot in the village of Franklin. It also shows that he was the constable of deerfield township (south Lebanon Ohio) from 1825 to 1827. South Lebanon is located approximately 11 miles from this site. He moved to Indiana at around 1837 and died, according to the records, in 1839. My question is, what is his cuff button doing in the button field? John Reiley’s original site, as far as we know, has not been found. Could this be it? The home is now a park in memory of my parents. I am currently working with park officials to uncover the well again to see if any more artifacts can be found.