Local Lifestyles
A cloud of dirt particles surrounds Madison County native Carole Nash as she jerks a wooden screen back and forth sifting through a pile of dirt in search of antebellum-era artifacts last month at a downtown Madison site.
As workers disassemble the logs of a small building to the east of downtown Madison’s Kemper Residence, a bent fork sparkles between the boards. Although there’s no way to know for sure, those who work in the field of archaeology doubt the fork mistakenly found its way into the wall during a mid-meal argument. Rather, the curved fork was likely a “magic charm” deliberately placed in a small crevice to “push evil away,” according to Madison County native Carole Nash.
