July 9-13: WEEK 1 Artifact of the Week

Every week, Soc/Ant 180 students decide as a group what artifact they'd like to share with the public here on our blog. This week's favorite was found in the topsoil level of AH3, by the front door:
It is an original style Mr. Potato Head nose - designed to be stuck into a real potato! The toy company Hasbro manufactured small plastic features like this one from 1952 through the 1960s. The style of Potato Head toys changed in 1973, when the toys were made larger to meet new child safety guidelines.

Several artifacts found during landscaping and site maintenance at the Akin House are children's toys. Children are not prominent in the documentary record of the property, but generations of kids made a notable contribution to the archaeological record.