‘Diggers’ Discovers New Hatfields and McCoys Clues

Diggers
A scene from ‘Diggers’ (Photo Courtesy of National Geographic Channel)

The National Geographic Channel will be debuting Diggers: Hatfields & McCoys on January 29, 2013 at 10pm, showcasing new artifacts which shed more light on the infamous feud between the two Kentucky families. According to National Geographic, the new artifacts were located at Randall McCoy’s home in Hardy, Kentucky.

McCoy’s home was the site of the 1888 New Year’s Day shoot-out between the Hatfields and the McCoys, and the location of the final showdown had never been fully uncovered. Kim McBride, co-director of the Kentucky Archaeological Survey, confirmed the Diggers team did in fact discover items on the private property that once belonged to the McCoys.

“This is an incredible discovery behind America’s greatest family feud,” stated McBride. “After spending two days excavating at the site, we were pleased to find a number of original artifacts from the actual structure, such as window glass and both wrought and machine-cut nails, and we were able to trace the lineage of the property right back to Randall McCoy and his wife Sarah McCoy. As archaeologists, we are very excited to find real evidence to back theories that have abounded for decades.”

And West Virginia University Extension Professor Bill Richardson said, “This is amazing. These appear to be actual bullets fired at the Hatfields by the McCoys in defense of their home. Nothing like this has ever been found before.”

The Details:Diggers hosts, amateur scientists, vocational metal detector enthusiasts and history buffs George ‘KG’ Wyant and Tim ‘Ringy’ Saylor, first discovered what they thought were clear signs that finally proved the McCoy home was on the property and that this was the site of the final Hatfield-McCoy standoff, which helped to end at least a decade of family fighting.

Conferring with the private landowners and working with Diggers staff archaeologist Kate Culpepper and local historian Bill Richardson, the team pinpointed the location of the home and discovered charred wooden board remains, as well as specific items from the home, including possible parts from a stove, nails and a plow blade fragment.

After they found the burned wood and artifacts, Wyant and Saylor followed protocol agreed on with the archaeology community at the start of the series production and called in McBride to verify the find. The team screened shovel test units and recorded the site with the Kentucky Office of State Archaeology, to ensure that the site was protected and the find was legitimate.”