What time of year are fields usually plowed in West Tennessee?

Question

Just wondering, I want to look for arrowheads, I guess I can go to some streams too.

Answer 1

It depends on what the crop is.  Some in the summer and others in the fall.  Unless, you look on your own land or on someones property where you have permission to look for artifacts, it is against the law.  The American Antiquities Act of 1906, declares historical landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historical or scientific interest on government controlled land be considered national monuments, whereby protected and maintained.  Archaeological and Historical Preservation Act of 1974, which serves the purpose of preserving historical sites, buildings, objects, and antiquities that are of national importance, which could be damaged or destroyed as the result of road, railway, and building construction as well as the construction of a dam by any agency of the government, private person, or corporation.  National American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of 1990, which states that the ownership or control of any American Indian remains and artifacts associated with a particular burial must be released to the associated Indian tribe.  

I asked one for my professors about laws and ethics for a paper I was writing about the subject and asked him a few hypothetical questions:

If an individual came across an artifact such as an arrowhead while walking along the shoreline of a river or lake on federal or state land, what should he or she do with the item?  If an artifact is found, the person who found it should inform the proper authorities like the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, or organizations such as the Oklahoma Archaeological Survey.  What if they decided to keep it, what then?  Keeping the artifact is a typical response individuals have and generally they are just given a warning not to do it again.  However, repeated offender can face a heavy fine and even jail time.

I know that it is tempting to go looking for artifacts, but you really shouldn't.

Answer 2

If you have permission to look for airheads then the farmer can tell you when.

I bet I know something you'd like - volunteering on digs with local archaeological groups. It's an opportunity to learn that you won't want to miss!