The Man with the Keys to the Prison
May 31, 2007
David Bush talks about his excavations at Johnson's Island Civil War POW Camp on the AIA website.

Johnson's Island 2006
We spoke in February with David Bush about recent finds and developments in the investigation and preservation of the Civil War POW camp in Ohio. Read the interview.

Have your own questions? Post them to the bulletin board! Below are some of our visitors' previous queries.

• What are some of the specific daily activities you expect to find evidence for?
• Is there a list of the prisoners held at Johnson Island?
• How can people participate in your dig? When and how does one sign up?
• What made you decide to concentrate so much of your time on this project?
• Is the site open to the public?
• Did you survey for the presence of Native American artifacts?
• Have you found anything medical?
• What kind of conditions did the prisoners live in?
• Who ran the prison?
• What is the portable building covering your excavation site?

Q&A 2002
Even as they dug, the site's future became increasingly uncertain (see "Saving a Civil War Prison," March/April 2002). We asked Bush about excavations on Johnson's Island and the risks the landmark faces from development.

• How did you first become interested in Johnson's Island?
• What have the excavations on Johnson's Island told us about prison life during the Civil War?
• You're still digging at the site, what kind of questions are guiding your current excavations?
• What emotions does the site evoke? There's a definite "hallowed ground" feel to battlefields like Antietam and Gettysburg, is Johnson's Island similar?
• Have any of the field-school students been descendants of POWs or guards? Or have any such visited the place?
• What happens to the artifacts after you've dug them up? Any thoughts about an on-site museum?
• Can you tell us a little about the recent history of development on the island?
• What kind of threat is the site facing now?
• What are the long-term goals for the Friends and Descendants of Johnson's Island?
• What kind of response has your nonprofit received since you formed it last year?
• If the property is purchased by the Friends and Descendants Johnson's Island, what kind of management plan will you put in place?