Prehistoric Farmers of Boone County, Kentucky Now Available

Long before Europeans arrived in the New World and made their way west, Kentucky was home to many different cultures of Native Americans, including hunter-gatherer-farmers who settled in Boone County beginning around A.D. 1000. A new booklet about this culture has just been published by the Kentucky Archaeological Survey (KAS).

The Prehistoric Farmers of Boone County, Kentucky, the 8th volume in the KAS Education Series, was authored by Dr. A. Gwynn Henderson, KAS education coordinator and editor of the series. Information for the publication came from Dr. Henderson’s extensive knowledge of Kentucky’s prehistoric farming peoples and from findings gleaned from past archaeological investigations at sites in Boone County.

At 48 pages and printed in full color, the booklet is the longest and most ambitious volume in the series. In it, Dr. Henderson relates the history of prehistoric inhabitants of Boone County, focusing on the 700-year history of people whom archaeologists call the Fort Ancient people. She describes evidence of their houses, the layout of their villages, food production, diet and health, diseases, technology, social and political organization, what they traded, burial customs and religious beliefs.

Research and writing of the booklet was funded by a federal grant with matching funds from Boone County Fiscal Court. Funding to print the booklet came from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

The Review Board has a limited number of copies of the booklet available and is partnering with the Boone County Public Library to help distribute them. Copies are available for free at all branches of the Boone County Public Library (www.bcpl.org) and also through the Review Board (895/334-2111 or mbecher@boonecountyky.org). Additional copies may be purchased for $7 through the Kentucky Archaeological Survey by calling 859-257-5173 or through its Web site www.heritage.ky.gov/kas