Above all, our goal is to educate ourselves, others, and future generations by locating, unearthing, and preserving items that were at one point in the past, cast away as refuse. We can ensure our goal is obtained by upholding The Six Pillars of Chagrin Valley Archaeology.

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1. Respect: Respect must be observed in all aspects of our endeavors.  Respect for the past. Respect for one’s property. Respect for Mother Earth.  Respect for one another.

2. Safety: Although our intentions are noble and our activities thrilling, nothing is worth putting at risk, the safety of ourselves and/or others.

3. Permission: It must be made certain that we do not plant a shovel into the ground until we are absolutely positive that we have the appropriate permission needed to proceed.

4. Terms: The terms of a dig must be agreed upon by all parties involved prior to digging.

5. Documentation: All digs will be filmed in order to give a firsthand account of what was found and where.

6. Knowing Our Place: Although we may have knowledge, passion, and honorable intent, WE ARE AMATEURS. Period. We partake in these activities, because we want to educate & preserve, and do what we believe is right.  If we come upon a situation where we find something of a sensitive nature we will immediately stop and notify the proper professionals / authorities. We DO NOT disturb important historical sites. We DO NOT disturb any human remains. We DO NOT disturb any site that has ancient or native artifacts. The only time where these actions would be warranted is under the direct permission of professionals who are supervising a legal, sanctioned activity. 

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To the Naysayers (Respectfully):

We understand that there are multiple schools of thought regarding what we do. And thus, we understand that there will be people out there who do not necessarily agree with the practices of our group. However, every year that goes by, more and more privies and dumps are destroyed in the name of progress.  Every year more and more local history is hastily wiped from the face of the earth by the blade of a backhoe or front-end loader.  If we were to wait for every single privy or bottle dump to be excavated by an Archaeologist with a PhD, we would be doing a disservice to the world. Lets be honest, the longer we wait, the more history is destroyed. As noted in the code above, we will do everything we can, within our abilities, to ethically unearth and rescue this history before it disappears forever.