Davidsonville existed for such a short period that many parts of its story were never written down, especially everyday activities and details of how the town was laid out after its buildings were torn down. Artifacts left behind show that, although Davidsonville was a frontier town, it was not isolated from the rest of the world. Archeology studies all the evidence left behind, including building remnants, activity areas, and trash deposits, to reconstruct life in an earlier time. Carefully chosen areas are excavated using a research plan, while soil changes, bricks, debris, and artifact locations are mapped and recorded. In the lab, broken artifacts are pieced together and studied, archival documents are searched, and the historical context is considered to create a fuller picture of Davidsonville. The Arkansas Archeological Survey and the staff of Davidsonville Historic State Park have worked together on excavations at the courthouse square and many house sites, and they return the results of archeological and historical research to the public through exhibits and interpretive programs as they reconstruct the story of Arkansas's first county seat town.