You are standing in front of a large, four-sided artifact case. The artifact label facing you is titled “Cowrie Shell.” To your left is a timeline titled “Historic Milestones: From First Peoples to the Arrival of SERC.” To your right is a graphic panel titled “House History: Fireplace.” Behind you is a reader rail titled “Window on the Past: Unsustainable Practices.”

The section of the case in front of you includes a cowrie shell, a label, and two images.

The label reads:

Cowrie Shell
Cowrie shells were used as currency in many parts of Africa for centuries. They were often perforated so that they could be worn on a necklace or bracelet. Europeans used cowrie shells to purchase slaves to bring to the Americas. This shell, recovered from Sparrow’s Rest, may have belonged to an enslaved person.

Recovered from Sparrow’s Rest:
1. African cowrie shell bead, 1725

Two photos accompanying the label show the top and bottom of the cowrie shell. The shell is white. It has two holes on the top and a curved slit on the bottom.