In May and June of 2025, an investigative dig was completed at the former Kingdom of the Happy Land property, led by archaeologist Dr. Christina Benton.

The excavation focused on a 5×7-meter area around a partially collapsed chimney. Soil was collected in a grid and sifted for artifacts. The team recovered buttons, cut and wire nails, cartridge casings, charred wood, and small metal fragments—all consistent with the Kingdom time period.

The dig also uncovered a large, flat hearthstone inside the chimney, stained with charcoal, confirming its use as a fireplace.

Dr. Benton followed the excavation with an official technical field report detailing her findings.

"The material record uncovered at the Kingdom of the Happy Land provides a rare window into how this autonomous community organized its labor, social life, and built environment. The structure excavated in Unit 1 was not a house; it was a deeply functional, communal workspace at the center of Kingdom economic and social coordination. Every architectural and artifactual element points toward this interpretation, and together they compose a detailed narrative of how work, skill, and community were materially enacted...In Appalachian Black communities during the post-emancipation period, buildings of this type often served as cooperative workrooms where textiles were mended, tools repaired, agricultural goods processed, or group tasks coordinated (Galle and Young 2019). The Kingdom structure fits this pattern seamlessly." - Dr. Christina Benton