The oldest evidence of research at the Düwelsteene is the dissertation Sepulcretum Westphalico-Minigardico-Gentile by Jodocus Hermann Nünning in 1714. It is not possible to say if he also performed archaeological excavations at the megalithic site, but the copperplate print in his book indicates, that such surveys were taking place at archaeological structures.
In his thesis Nünning (1675 – 1753) displayed a copperplate print, which shows the megalithic grave in a simplified depiction, with four capstones, eight orthostats (supporting the capstones) and a circle of smaller enclosing stones encircling the structure. In the background of the print, the steeple of the church in Heiden can be detected. In the foreground two workers can be seen, excavating urns of the Bronze Age (Schierhold and Stapel 2018: 6).
The Düwelsteene in the background shown on a copper plate print from the doctoral thesis "Sepulcretum Westphalico-Minigardico-Gentile" by Jodocus Hermann Nünning (1714), to be found as digital copy at the Bavarian State Library.
In his thesis Nünning also depicted copperplate prints with drawings of pottery finds, dating to the Funnel Beaker culture as well as some finds from the copper age. If these are from excavations at the Düwelsteene or from different megalithic graves, can’t be verified. The finds are also not present anymore, or at least it can’t be ascertained if any Funnel Beaker culture artefacts are from the excavations that Nünning carried out.
As with most megalithic tombs from the Funnel Beaker culture, mostly constructed from granite boulders, the megalithic stones were often taken and used as building material over the time. In 1748 there seemingly was a controlled detonation of one of the capstones at the passage grave. This destruction of the Düwelsteene is mentioned in one of the diaries of Nünning. Referring to these demolitions of megalithic boulders, Johan Heinrich Cohausen described and lamented this practice of destruction in a letter to Jodocus Hermann Nünning (Schierhold and Stapel 2018: 6).
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