The Indiana State Museum strives to be a leader in research and one of the most important ways we do that is through annual archaeological and palentological digs across the state. From the State Historic Sites to Megenity Cave, digs conducted by the museum’s world-class staff of curators provide information that is then shared with you.
In the summer of 2005, a dig near Hebron, Indiana, unearthed a collection of five mastodont skeletons. Our staff is currently preserving and studying the bones and other finds from this dig. It is hoped that these mastodonts will be included in an upcoming exhibit, Elephant Graveyard, focusing on the mastodonts and mammoths once common in our state.
The great artifacts, fossils and objects discovered on our annual digs make their way to the museum’s galleries. Through constant learning and annual digs, your Indiana State Museum provides new insight into the Indiana Story.
Click here to read a blog from museum staff members participating in the 2006 Megenity Cave dig and the 2006 Day Mastodont dig.
Click here to view a video about the Bothwell mastodont dig.