Spoils from the Adventures of a Relic Hound

Carl Abshire belonged to the Pelican Relic and Recovery Association. During his life, he was an avid relic hound. He hunted in Donaldsonville, Paincourtville, and in dirt hauled away from the area surrounding the Louisiana State Capitol, Barracks and Taylor House. This site contains pictures of the artifacts found by Carl. Items are grouped as Carl grouped them. Some items had been placed in cases while others were placed in ziplock bags, tin boxes, etc. Some items had information pertaining to the location at which items were found. That information is noted as well. With the assistance of Linda and Calvin Wiggs, many of the items have been identified. They are pictured here and may be used for research purposes. A note about the locations where the items were found: The Pelican Relic and Recovery Association assisted the LaFourche des Chetimaches Historical Society in digs of battle sites in the Donaldsonville area, click here to read a newspaper article about that project. Additionally, the area surround the capitol, barracks and Taylor history is of interest as it has a long history as a military site. The area around the Pentagon Barracks was first settled by the French, who held it until the English took over in 1763. It was held later by the Spanish (from 1779-1810), The West Florida Republic (in 1810) and, finally, the United States (1810). It was variously named Fort Richmond (British), Fort San Carlos (Spanish), and Fort Baton Rouge (West Florida Republic) (see Pentagon Barracks). Troops assembled at the fort during the Creek War (1813-1814) and prior to the Battle of New Orleans (1814-1815). It served as a U.S. military post until 1861, when it was captured and turned over to the Confederacy (see http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/travel/louisiana/pen.htm). Where information is available, the locations where items were found are noted throughout the site. Those interested in an overview of the locations should click here. There are several places where items are identified as coming from "off-site dirt." This refers to dirt from the state capitol area that was hauled away during various construction projects. Carl followed the dirt and hunted at those off-site locations. Throughout the site notes about items identified by specific people are documented so that those interested will know the source of information provided. Additionally, a sample of Carl's handwriting is provided below to assist in this process: