100 Objects: 18th-century tomahawk
18th-century tomahawk
This tomahawk was found by Alexander Sykes in 1900 when the Pittsburgh Buffalo Co. opened a new coal mine in Canonsburg. Sykes found it while excavating one section of the mine. It was deeply imbedded in solid rock in the mine near Chartiers Creek and took some time to extract. It most likely dates from the mid-18th century.
The first European settlers in this region came in the 1740s. They built trading posts and traded pots, pans, tools and weapons made from cheap pig iron with the Indians in exchange for furs. This tomahawk was made by folding a butterfly-shaped piece of metal in half, creating a loop into which the handle would be fitted and pinned. The two pieces forming the blade were then soldered together and sharpened.
Alice Burroughs is a volunteer for the Washington County Historical Society and a member of the antiquities committee.