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10. Archeological Testing at the Ray House: Wilson's Creek National Monument,
Missouri. Monk, Susan M.

This report contains a descriptive account of archeological test excavations at the John A. Ray house. Residents here observed the struggle between the two armies and used the house as a hospital after the battle on 10 August 1861. Although the occupation of the Ray house spanned more than 100 years, the present excavations were undertaken to acquire both architectural information and material culture from the mid-nineteenth century, relating specifically to the time of the battle of Wilson's Creek. This report includes a brief introduction to the history of the Ray house; both pre- and post battle, together with descriptions of the excavations and synthesis of the artifactual and architectural remains. Distributional analysis of remains will also be included. Archeological testing at the Ray house was enacted as part of the overall building stabilization scheme proposed by the National Park Service. Interest in the actual happenings of the Battle of Wilson's Creek is of secondary importance for the purposes of this report. The initial objective of this project was to examine the area around the foundation of the structure prior to ground disturbance from the stabilization process. Figure 2 is a photograph of the Ray house as it looks today....