The damp dirt yielded under Jack Bell’s hand. A glint of something caught his eye. It was a fragment of stone, half-buried, hinting at glimpses of the past. This is the thrill of the hunt — when history peeks through the soil and connects us to an often-forgotten past. It’s been this way for Bell since that pivotal day in 1975 when, during the hush of a rabbit hunt, he dug up his first arrowhead (spearpoint). One single find led to a lifelong hobby and relentless pursuit to uncover the stories slumbering beneath our feet.
His captivating mini-museum holds over 1,200 carefully categorized spearpoints, each representing the lives and livelihoods of the Cherokee people who once called this land home.
Following a brief pause from digging due to no-till farming, he stumbled upon several intriguing cork bottles that had washed ashore by a creek in 1986. This unveiled a new chapter in his collecting adventures.
One rare find — a bottle embossed with the faded symbol of the Conner Medicine Co., became a gateway to a forgotten past. As Bell dug deeper, his collection grew to over 4,000 bottles and jars.
One bottle holds the remnants of Chero-Cola, bottled right here in Winchester in 1917. Some of the bottles also contain the markings of five long-gone dairies and an ice cream plant located in Franklin County.
Each artifact is a powerful starting point for storytelling. He shares the struggles of the Cherokee people, who called this land home for millennia, and of their tragic displacement on the Trail of Tears.
“When people visit my museum,” Bell explained, “I like to tell them about the history of these spearpoints. They were made by the ancestors of the Cherokee, who lived here for thousands of years. The first European explorers came around 1541, and they brought smallpox, which killed half the indigenous population. Then, in the late 1600s, white settlers started taking Cherokee and Creek land. This continued through the 1700s after many battles and broken treaties.”
He continued, “The remaining Cherokee in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina were rounded up by the U.S. Army and put in stockades. In 1838, 18,000 Cherokee men, women, and children were forced to march 1,200 miles to Oklahoma. Over 4,600 of them died on that jourwney, which is known as the ‘Trail of Tears.'”
As visitors listen to Bell’s stories, they gain a stronger appreciation for the land they tread upon and the lives that have made it what it is today. They also learn about the evolution of medicine from the random remedies of the 19th century to the more regulated pharmaceutical industry of today.
“I’ve cataloged both my spearpoints and bottles,” Bell explained. “For the spearpoints, I have the date found, site found, point type, and point age. For the bottles, I have the brand, size, class, color, and type of closure.”
For those who might be interested in collecting artifacts, Bell advises, “The only tool you need for arrowhead hunting is a flip stick. If you see what looks like flint or quartz half buried in the dirt or mud, flip it with your stick. It may be a chip or complete arrowhead. For digging bottles, all you need is a short-handled spade, a strong back, and a weak mind.”
He joked, but there was a hint of seriousness in his words.
Of course, having a team of experts who can help you identify and catalog your finds is also helpful.
“I have to depend on my research team of Richard Bean, Joy Gallagher, my daughter-in-law, Kristie Bell, and my daughter, Shannon Rogers,” he said.
The most captivating artifact in Bell’s collection isn’t a spearpoint or a bottle. It’s an unassuming fossil, a subtle ambassador from an almost unimaginable time, right around 450 million years old.
As visitors leave Bell’s mini-museum, they go with a newfound appreciation for arrowheads and antique bottles. But, they also leave with a deeper understanding of the land they tread upon, a connection to the lives that have shaped this place, and great respect for the man who has dedicated his life to uncovering its stories.
Bell’s journey is far from over. At 86, his enthusiasm remains as strong as ever. His witty remarks like “I need a few more bottles” always bring a smile.
With someone like Bell, it’s impossible not to be captivated by his spirit. The future holds endless possibilities, and we eagerly anticipate the incredible adventures that lie ahead. GN
