Chase Pipes

The Importance of Preserving Old Buildings

Historian and paleontology enthusiast Chase Pipes co-owns and operates the Smoky Mountain Relic Room in Sevierville, Tennessee. Chase Pipes collects and documents historical artifacts, fossils, and other relics and ultimately makes them available to interested collectors.

Although old buildings typically do not fall into the category of artifacts, these structures can have much historical value and are worth preserving. In addition to their intrinsic structural value, old buildings often can teach us about the society and culture that built them. Moreover, many people enjoy the view into a bygone age provided by old buildings, and the structures are often used as commercial locations for that reason.

Another important cause for preserving old buildings is that they help establish continuity in a changing world. By studying their evolution, historians can see how one art movement or cultural era led to another. Historical structures also create a sense of identity for the descendants of their builders.

Advances in Radiocarbon Dating

A host of Chasing History, Chase Pipes possesses expertise in the fields of history, archeology, paleontology, and geology. In addition to hosting the show, Chase Pipes co-owns and operates the Smoky Mountain Relic room, which is home to an amalgam of fossils and artifacts.

All of the above disciplines recently received a boost when researchers figured out a way to more efficient way of determining the age of artifacts and fossils through radiocarbon dating. Radiocarbon dating uses the deterioration of Carbon 14 to determine how old an artifact or a fossil is. A few years ago, researchers discovered a way to half the amount of time that it would take to figure out the age of an object.

Prior to this discovery, researchers would have to go through a protracted process that involved separating samples from the object. To date the objects, samples would have to be burned to be turned into carbon dioxide. The sample then had to be cleaned up, converted to solid carbon, and measured in the particle accelerator.

Today, however, the Positive Ion Mass Spectrometry (PIMS) system allows scientists to measure carbon more quickly. PIMS speeds up dating simply because it is a gas accepting system that does not need a high-energy particle accelerator. The system allows for scientists to extract enough carbon-14 to measure and date the sample quickly.

Factors to Consider in Preservation

The co-owner and operator of Smoky Mountain Relic Room, Chase Pipes, has extensive experience in archaeology, paleontology, geology, and history. In his work, Chase Pipes is involved in the preservation of pieces he obtains during his finds.

Through the preservation of archaeological and historical finds, generations learn about the lives of those who have come before them. There are several factors that influence the process of preservation.

In general, researchers take both a reductionist and holistic approach to preserving artifacts, whether they are simple objects or whole sites. A reductionist approach looks at every piece of the find as an important explanation as to the what, where, when, how, and why of an event or a place.

During the holistic process, researchers strive to keep the artifact similar to its current state (depending on the context of the piece) or to the state when it was used. For example, artifacts from September 11 will be preserved to hold the significance of the tragedy that happened that day, i.e. un-restored watches stopped at the time of the plane’s crash. Alternatively, restoration of a piece of art or an object (i.e. military coehorn mortar) provides an explanation of how the object appeared before use.

Another factor that influences the preservation process is the environment. Finds that are located in or near water or marshy lands have to be moved very carefully. Water damage over a few years can affect materials, so when dealing with artifacts that might be centuries old, researchers have to use safety measures that will decrease the likelihood that the materials will disintegrate. In many cases, research teams have one of two choices. They can move the site or building to a new area of construction or they can move the site adjacent to or underneath the newly constructed area. In either case, these decisions will depend on the engineering capabilities of the team and the importance of the site.

Carnivorous Dinosaur Found to Regenerate Teeth at Rapid Rate

The co-owner and operator of Smoky Mountain Relic Room, Chase Pipes sources and sells a variety of historical artifacts, gems, and fossils from around the world. These items are all legally sourced, and are often purchased by Chase Pipes during his visits to dig sites around the United States. He maintains a particular interest in obtaining dinosaur teeth, and routinely shares paleontology and history updates with avid history buffs through his podcast and YouTube Channel.

Despite the extreme age of dinosaur fossils, paleontologists are still making new discoveries that challenge previously held beliefs. These include the recent discovery that majungasaurus, an apex predator that lived roughly 70 million years ago, regenerated its teeth at a rapid rate. In fact, scientists believe the animal regenerated its teeth two to 13 times faster than nearly all other carnivorous dinosaurs.

Scientists made this discovery by examining multiple majungasaurus jaws in Madagascar. These jaws were all examined using scans of the deep bone, where researchers found teeth growing in behind the specimens’ seemingly healthy teeth. It’s believed that majungasaurus had weak teeth that would frequently become worn down by chewing on the bones of prey. To accommodate this, the dinosaur had to regenerate its teeth very quickly.

This ability to regenerate teeth, which scientists believe the majungasaurus did every two months, is a specialized feature that some modern animals share, such as sharks.

Why Is It So Important to Help Preserve History?

A resident of Dandridge, Tennessee, Chase Pipes is the co-owner of the Smoky Mountain Relic Room, a retail store that offers a diverse selection of fossils, historical artifacts, crystals, minerals, and meteorites, among other items. Chase Pipes oversees all operations at the Smoky Mountain Relic Room, and frequently travels around the globe in search of unique items to bring back for his store’s visitors to see and purchase.

Preserving history is critical now more than ever, since human progress is rapidly destroying geological formations, fossil beds, and historical sites. Mr. Pipes encourages people to help preserve history by protecting artifacts and natural treasures.

Since the world’s museums are unable to hold the extremely large number of historical artifacts, gems, fossils, and minerals that exist, it’s vital for people to help preserve history by collecting and protecting items themselves. Saving these items is valuable, since being able to physically touch, smell, and taste these treasures from the past allows us to understand history in a manner that is different than simply learning from books or movies. If these items are preserved effectively, future generations can also learn from them in a tangible way. Gaining knowledge from historical items is critical for all of humanity, since it enables us to learn from the past and potentially avoid future mistakes.

About Chase Pipes

The co-owner and operator of the Smoky Mountain Relic Room in Sevierville, Tennessee, Chase Pipes travels widely throughout the United States and the world to source and purchase a broad spectrum of historically-relevant items and preserved natural wonders. Items recently acquired by Chase Pipes and the Smoky Mountain Relic Room include an authentic M1903 Springfield ammunition clip from the 1916 US Invasion of Mexico and a fossilized triceratops skull frill. The business also buys and sells a range of minerals, crystals, and meteorites.

Chase Pipes resides about 30 minutes from Sevierville in the small town of Dandridge, Tennessee. When he isn’t working, he enjoys getting into nature to hike and canoe. He is also an avid primitive skills and survival enthusiast and a recreational practitioner of forgotten skills such as flint knapping and blowgun making. Mr. Pipes has volunteered to help complete state park construction projects wearing 18th century clothing and employing 18th century methods and tools.