Archeologist Nolan Johnson taking measurements at Sharp Homestead.
Archeologists from the NSHS State Archeology Office (SAO) began work on the Sharp Homestead site in Stanton County. The site was first recorded in 1992 and has been revisited by staff several times throughout the years, including in 2019 when the SAO partnered with the Midwest Archeological Center (a program of the National Park Service) to conduct an intensive geophysical survey of the site. This led to State Archeologists discovering various artifacts such as architectural debris, metal hinges, and glass during initial investigations. The work that was launched this month is due the construction being done to expand U.S. Highway 275 from two to four lanes that will eventually disrupt the site. The homestead is located at the intersection of Nebraska Highway 15 and U.S. Highway 275. This is the largest project that NSHS and the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) have partnered on in more than 20 years.
Archeologists excavating one of the sections at Sharp Homestead.
Charles F. Sharp submitted a homestead application on November 12, 1865 at the Nebraska Land Office in Nebraska City. By 1872, he had built a three room house, stable, granary, and cellar below the house on the Sharp Homestead site. Nolan Johnson, the archeologist leading the work on the site, said, “The archival record from the 1860-1880s is scant and archeology is an important tool for filling in the gaps of understanding how people lived in Nebraska in the past. It has the potential to inform us about the evolution of farming practices in Nebraska.” Excavations will take place over the next couple of months and the archeologists hope to recover artifacts and evidence of building foundations at the site.
Archeologists taking cover from the wind while sifting dirt for artifacts.
The archeologists will eventually release a detailed report of everything they find, and in conjunction with the NDOT will develop presentations to share results of the excavation with the general public.
– Christian Newth, NSHS Membership Coordinator, May 2025
