Mary Mathews found this interesting stone pipe in

a cultivated field in Randolph, County, Illinois several

years ago. It's been roughed up a bit from agricultural
implements but the heaviest damage evidently

occurred prehistorically. The old damage is what makes

this artifact so interesting.
   It's odd that this Hopewell pipe was so badly broken

with both ends broken off. This type of break pattern is

often seen on some Hopewell pipes that have been
excavated from mounds where they were prehistorically

placed as burial offerings. One possibility is that this pipe

was recovered anciently from a mound and the individual

attempted to use it once again by reattaching the broken

parts.
    How this pipe was broken, no one will ever know. But

it appears that an attempt at repair was made. Evidence

of this is indicated by the two holes that were drilled on

the edges of both breaks. The broken ends, that have

not been found, probably had corresponding holes

that allowed them to be tied back together. The repair

may also have been aided with the application of some

type of natural adhesive that may have been either animal,
vegetal or mineral in origin. Capt. John Smith reported

that "with sinew of deer and the tops of deer horns boiled

to a jelly the Virginia Indians made glue that would not
dissolve in cold water".