Curious Nashville

Why do buried treasures turn up in our backyards?

It all starts with a question: “I live in East Nashville, on Sharpe Avenue. We adopted a hound mix and she digs up bizarre trash. Did people bury their trash? Was there no trash pick up? Auto parts, beer bottles, air gun cartridges, porn videos. Others in East have described similar experiences.” We’ve learned this is not an isolated experience. You folks are obsessed with what you find in the dirt. So, why do we dig what we dig? We’re unearthing some answers with metal detectorist Whit Hill, landscaper Matt Pilcher, and Ben Nance with the Tennessee Division of Archaeology. This episode was reported and produced by Tasha A.F. Lemley.

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