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At the November meeting of the local Meherrin Chapter of the National Society Colonial Dames Seventeenth Century, David Wells of Lunenburg provided an interesting guided tour of the barn that he constructed to house his deceased father’s collection of over 20,000 Native American artifacts.

This was the massive collection of David’s father, John H. Wells, with the majority of the pieces recovered from Mecklenburg, Lunenburg and other portions of Southside Virginia.  The artifacts date from as early as 10,000 B.C. up through circa 1700 A.D., when the English began to move into the Southside Virginia area.

John H. Wells, an educator by profession, was well known in archeological circles as an expert on Native American finds.  He meticulously catalogued each item in his collection and arranged them attractively for display.

Wells also authored a detailed book of finds entitled “Abbyville” which details finds along the John H. Kerr Reservoir in Halifax County. Some of these items are displayed in the South Boston museum.

The younger Wells, who often accompanied his father on archeological treks, has become quite the expert himself. He continues to find artifacts from the past on his own property several miles out of the town of Victoria.