Archeologists found money in the Williams cabin! Actually it was a single coin—a dime, dating to 1877, called a "seated liberty" dime. It was found in an unusual place, directly in front of the fireplace. We do not know how the coin got there, but there are three likely possibilities. (1) One of the Williams family members lost it there when the house was first built (when it still had a dirt floor). (2) The dime could have been lost and fallen through the wooden floorboards at a later time. Or (3), the coin might have been intentionally placed, or buried, in front of the fireplace for some symbolic or spiritual reason (similar to the placement of the dart point in the chimney's firebox).

The date on the coin, 1877, does not seem to have any obvious family significance (none of the children were born that year). It was not related to the construction of the house (the house was probably completed before 1876). If it was dropped accidentally, however, the loss was significant. The loss of a dime in 1877 would be the equivalent of losing somewhere between $2 to $16 today! That's because the value of money has gone up so much over time (that's called inflation).

In 1895, that same dime could have purchased a nice, two-bladed boy's pocket knife!