American Material Culture Commons^™

Atlantic Legacies: Free Women Of Color And The Changing Notions Of Womanhood In The Long Nineteenth Century, Marie Stephanie Chancy

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on three free-born African-descended women who defied expectations and prejudices to live previously unthinkable lives in the nineteenth century. The project uses their biographies to illustrate how, as black and mixed-ancestry émigrés from the Americas living in Europe, they adopted and adapted the evolving notions of ideal womanhood. As a result they expanded who could be identified as a true, redemptive or new woman. The project shows how they used the tenets of these ideals to live life on their terms. The dissertation is set in an era dominated by white males, and defined by the enslavement …

The U.S.–Mexican War: Visualizing Contested Spaces From Parlor To Battlefield, Erika Pazian

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The U.S.-Mexican War[1] (1846-1848) was a watershed event that transformed the North American continent politically, socially, and ideologically. With the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, Mexico lost approximately half of its national territory in the north, and the United States acquired the modern states of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, and portions of Colorado and Wyoming. Both nations were plagued by internal conflicts after the war, and each was plunged into civil war within fifteen years of its conclusion.

During this time of turmoil, Mexican and U.S. artists created and recreated myriad images …

Below-Deck: The Specialist Sailor In World War Ii, Gregory Falcon

War, Diplomacy, and Society (MA) Theses

U.S. Navy ships were made up of many unexpected jobs during World War II. Traditional war histories say little about sailors who rarely saw direct combat below active war decks but instead worked skilled jobs. Specialized sailors were often unseen as they worked below the waterline as, for example, electrician’s mates and boiler room firemen. These jobs were pivotal to keeping the ship running and allowed men to make use of their valuable time in the navy. This thesis argues that, although evolving naval culture led men to enter for various reasons, many entered to enhance their future career during …

Material Encounters: Making Memory Beyond The Mind, Ariel Wills

Masters Theses

Can acts of making carry the memories of our embeddedness within the world? This thesis explores how making things can nurture a sense of kinship that cuts across the organic and inorganic, erasing the distinction between living and dead, material and spiritual. Through handwork such as art-making, sewing, knitting, cooking, woodworking, and beyond, the burden of remembering and of archiving is shared across human and non-human bodies, cultivated through practices of making, and through the materials themselves. By recounting the stories of my family’s experience as Jewish immigrants in the United States, I aim to reveal how their domestic practices …

Space-Praxis: Towards A Feminist Politics Of Design, Mary C. Overholt

Masters of Environmental Design Theses

Outside of the academy and professionalized practice, design has long been central to the production of feminist, political projects. Taking what I have termed space-praxis as its central analytic, this project explores a suite of feminist interventions into the built environment—ranging from the late 1960s to present day.

Formulated in response to Michel de Certeau’s theory of spatial practices, space-praxis collapses formerly bifurcated definitions of ‘tactic’/‘strategy’ and ‘theory’/‘practice.’ It gestures towards those unruly, situated undertakings that are embedded in an ever-evolving, liberative politics. In turning outwards, away from the so-called masters of architecture, this thesis orients itself toward everyday practitioners …

The Infinite Crisis: How The American Comic Book Has Been Shaped By War, Winston Andrus

War, Diplomacy, and Society (MA) Theses

This thesis project argues that war has been the greatest catalyst for the American comic book medium to become a socio-political change agent within western society. Comic books have become one of the most pervasive influences to global popular culture, with superheroes dominating nearly every popular art form. Yet, the academic world has often ignored the comic book medium as a niche market instead of integrated into the broader discussions on cultural production and conflict studies. This paper intends to bridge the gap between what has been classified as comic book studies and the greater academic world to demonstrate the …

May 2021, Temple Shalom

Newsletter Archive

Contents: Temple Shalom Encounters a 20th Century Yiddish American Phenomenon; From the Rabbi; From the President; Book Group; Community Notices

April 2021, Temple Shalom

Newsletter Archive

Contents: Temple Shalom Celebrates Passover; From the Rabbi;From the President; Book Group; Community Notices

March 2021, Temple Shalom

Newsletter Archive

Contents: Temple Shalom Celebrates our Cherished Seniors; From the Rabbi; From the President; Book Group; Community Notices

These Are My People: An Ethnography Of Quiltcon, Kristin Barrus

Department of Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis presents the first ethnography of QuiltCon, the annual fan and artist convention for quiltmakers who identify with and participate in a social phenomenon called the Modern Quilt Movement (MQM) within the 21st century quilt world. QuiltCon (QC) is one product of this movement. This study considers the following questions: What kinds of people attend QC, and what types of experiences and encounters do they expect at the convention? What needs are met at QC for this subset of quiltmakers who attend and for the greater community of Modern quiltmakers? What role does QC play in cementing the identity …

February 2021, Temple Shalom

Newsletter Archive

Contents: Temple Shalom Travels to Europe; From the Rabbi; From the President; Book Group; Community Notices

Cultural Resources Investigation Report Of The Proposed City Of Jefferson 48-Inch Rcp (Pipeline) Drainage Improvements Along Valve Street In Marion County, Texas, James S. Belew, Michael Ryan

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Sphere 3 Environmental, Inc. (Sphere 3) conducted an intensive pedestrian cultural resources survey of approximately 0.12 hectares (0.29 acres) of land designated as the Project Area/Area of Potential Effects on September 16 and 17, 2020, in response to the proposed pipeline replacement in Jefferson, Texas. The City of Jefferson retained Sphere 3 to conduct a cultural resources survey of the proposed pipeline replacement location. The cultural resources survey was conducted to identify properties eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or worthy of listing as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL). A total of 12 shovel tests …

Cultural Resources Survey For The Proposed Dam No. 101 Project Within The Upper Brushy Creek Wcid, Williamson County, Texas, Steve Ahr, Patricia Hutchins, Tanya Mcdougall, Beth Reed

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

AECOM was contracted by the Upper Brushy Creek Water Control and Improvement District (UBCWCID) to conduct a cultural resources survey for the proposed Dam No. 101 project, located in Williamson County, Texas. AECOM evaluated a 189-acre area of potential effects (APE), which includes the conceptual dam footprint plus a 150-foot (ft) buffer, the inundation area, and any additional areas that could be potentially affected by key construction activities. The project is bisected by O’Conner Drive on the north side of State Highway 45 and partially overlaps the existing Dam No. 9. AECOM conducted an intensive cultural resources survey within the …

The Intensive Cultural Resources Survey For The Tceq Npdes Permitted Location On The Canyon Ranch Tract Comal County, Texas, James J. Hill

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Gram Vikas Partners, Inc. (Sponsor) is proposing the development of the approximate 400-acre Canyon Ranch Tract (Project) in northwest Comal County, Texas. The Project would occur approximately eight miles northeast of Spring Branch, Texas along Farm to Market Road (FM) 306. The Project will consist of a mix of both residential and commercial properties, associated roads, utilities and a wastewater treatment facility. As part of the development, an approximate six-acre wastewater treatment facility will be constructed in the west-central portion of the Project area, approximately 0.9-mi northwest of FM 306 and County Road (CR) 401 intersection.

Under the Memorandum of …

Archaeological Monitoring For The Buena Vista Corridor Project, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, Leonard Kemp

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Between July 11, 2018, and February 28, 2020, The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Center for Archaeological Research (CAR), in response to a request from the City of San Antonio (COSA), intermittently conducted archaeological monitoring for the Buena Vista (BV) Corridor project in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The project goal was to foster pedestrian traffic by sidewalk, lighting, and aesthetic improvements on Buena Vista Street between S. Leona and S. Santa Rosa streets. The COSA department of Transportation and Capital Improvements (TCI; now Public Works Department) administered the BV Corridor project with the COSA Office of Historic …

Intensive Archaeological Survey For Asphalt Package 2020-2 (Upin 21103n3045-30001), Harris County, Texas, Tiffany M. Lindley

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Raba Kistner, Inc. (RKI) was contracted by Harris County Engineering Department (CLIENT) to conduct archaeological investigations in support of road improvements along 5.35 miles (8.6 kilometer [km]) of existing road along House Road, Bauer Hockley Road, Becker Road, Kickapoo Road, and Badtke Road, located in northwestern Harris County, Texas. The purpose of this investigation was to identify any surface-exposed or shallowly buried cultural deposits within the limits of the proposed undertaking and, if possible, assess their significance and eligibility for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and for formal designation as State Antiquities Landmarks (SALs). As the …

Intensive Archaeological Survey For Asphalt Package 4, Precinct 3 (Upin: 21103n3044-30001), Hockley, Harris County, Texas, Adam T. Birge

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Raba Kistner, Inc. (RKI) was contracted by Harris County Engineering Department (CLIENT), to conduct archaeological investigations in support of road improvements along 7 miles of existing road along Botkins, Roberts, AJ Foyt, Nichols, and Becker Roads, located in northwest Harris County, Texas. The purpose of this investigation was to identify any surface-exposed or shallowly buried cultural deposits within the limits of the proposed undertaking and, if possible, assess their significance and eligibility for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and for formal designation as State Antiquities Landmarks (SALs). As the project will be conducted on publicly-owned land …

Analysis Of The Hatchel Site (41bw3) Platform Mound Ceramic Vessels, Vessel Sections, Sherds, Pipes, And Other Clay Artifacts, Timothy K. Perttula

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The Hatchel site (41BW3) is a major ancestral Nasoni Caddo village and mound center on a natural levee deposit in the floodplain of the Red River in Bowie County, Texas, just a few kilometers west of the Arkansas state line. The site was occupied by the Caddo from at least A.D. 1040 to the late 17th century; the latest temporal estimate is based primarily on the association of the Hatchel platform mound with a mound and templo illustrated on a 1691 map drawn of the site during the Teran expedition, and selected decorated sherds and vessels in the uppermost mound …

Intensive Archaeological Survey For Asphalt Package 2020-1 (Upin 21103n304101), Harris County, Texas, Adam T. Birge

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Raba Kistner, Inc. (RKI) was contracted by Harris County Engineering Department (CLIENT), to conduct archaeological investigations in support of a road improvements along 8.09 miles (13 km) of existing road along Old Washington County Road and Binford Roads, located in northwestern Harris County, Texas. The purpose of this investigation was to identify any surface-exposed or shallowly buried cultural deposits within the limits of the proposed undertaking and, if possible, assess their significance and eligibility for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and for formal designation as State Antiquities Landmarks (SALs). As the project will be conducted on …

2020 Annual Report: Cultural Resources Surveys Conducted For Two Anadarko E&P Onshore Llc Projects On General Land Office Property In Reeves County, Texas, Russell K. Brownlow

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

During the 2020 calendar year, Horizon Environmental Services, Inc. (Horizon) conducted intensive cultural resources surveys for two proposed Anadarko E&P Onshore LLC (Anadarko) projects located on property owned by the Texas General Land Office (GLO) in Reeves County, Texas (Project Areas). These projects included several flowline and pipeline rights-of-way (ROWs). Both projects were privately funded and did not require any federal permitting or coordination. However, as the GLO is considered to be a political subdivision of the State of Texas, the portions of the two projects on GLO property fell under the regulations of the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT). …

Investigating A Caddo Mound Site In The Ouachita River Valley, Mary Beth Trubitt, Jami J. Lockhart, Vanessa N. Hanvey

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Archeologists from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Arkansas Archeological Survey employed multiple techniques to investigate a newly recorded mound site (3DA673) in the Ouachita River valley in southern Arkansas. Topographic mapping documented a large two-stage mound. Geophysical surveying around the mound revealed anomalies in the gradiometry and resistance data, and soil coring detailed floodplain soils. A test unit was excavated in a large circular anomaly that corresponded to a low topographic rise north of the main mound. While very few artifacts were found, a burned zone and a post mold feature suggest the anomaly was a burned structure covered …

Digitizing Gilcrease Museum’S Lemley Collection: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives From Native Artists And Scholars, Jesse Nowak, Diana Folsom

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In 2014, The Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to fund a project that created a multidisciplinary, searchable online catalogue of ancient Mississippian and Caddo ceramic vessels, the largest of its kind to date. This paper provides a summary of the history of the Lemley collection, its contributions to Caddo archaeology, and the development of the digitization program at the Gilcrease Museum. This work also highlights the major contributions made through the collaborative effort between museum experts, Native American artists, tribal representatives, and Dr. Ann Early, …

Fluvial Sequencing And Caddo Landform Modification At The Crenshaw Site (3mi6), John R. Samuelsen, Margaret Guccione

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The Red River in southwest Arkansas creates a changing environment that has had a large impact on those who lived there, including floods, channel movements, and the erosion of whole landforms. River movements, and the resulting oxbow lakes, create an environment favorable to fishing. This study uses historical documents, lidar data, and coring methods to sequence past river movements around a multiple-mound Caddo ceremonial center, the Crenshaw site. This information is used to determine the likely location of the Red River at the time the ancient Caddo constructed the mounds and to note where portions of the ancient site may …

Someone’S Best Friend: Caddo And The Dìitsi’, Duncan P. Mckinnon

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The special relationship that humans share with Canis familiaris (Caddo: dìitsi’) is the result of a long history of cohabitation with a high degree of variability in the role of dogs. In this paper, I present an inventory of dog burials documented in the Caddo Archaeological Area, consider symbolic dog representations in material culture, and examine Caddo ethnographic accounts that document human-canine interactions. Results reveal numerous forms of dog burial treatment, canine symbolism in ceramic, shell, and stone media, and a shared role of dogs in human ritual. These examples highlight the special relationship between the Caddo and their dogs, …

Motifs In Motion: An Iconographic Evaluation Of Spiro Engraved Production And Distribution Between The Northern And Southern Caddo Areas, Shawn P. Lambert

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Spiro Engraved, characterized by restricted set of curvilinear motifs, is viewed as one of the ceramic hallmarks of the Early Caddo period (A.D. 950-1150). Spatial variation in Spiro Engraved vessels has been well-documented through various provenance and stylistic studies across the northern and southern Caddo areas. However, almost no analyses of Spiro Engraved vessels have considered variation in motif occurrence and expression between the northern and southern Caddo areas. In this study, I review the most robust and comprehensive sample of Spiro Engraved vessels throughout the Caddo world to understand motif variation within the region. The results show that northern …

The Cobb-Pool Site, A Caddo Settlement In The Mountain Creek Valley, S. Alan Skinner

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The Cobb-Pool site was excavated in 1985-1986 by the Archaeology Research Program at Southern Methodist University (SMU) before Joe Pool Lake was constructed. The site had been located by the late R. King Harris in the 1930s and Harris collected early Caddo pottery, a Gahagan biface, Alba arrow points, and other chipped stone tools from the surface. SMU located the posthole pattern of three house structures, a large roasting pit, and several other features. Recovered during the excavation was an assemblage that complemented the Harris collection but also included a large sample of maize unlike that found in any other …

Early Shell-Tempered Pots And Corn In The Ozark Highland, Marvin Kay

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The health benefits of cooking corn (Zea mays) in a shell-tempered pot seem to be at the heart of an important innovation, and is inferred to be strong evidence of corn as an A.D. seventh-century dietary supplement if not a true staple in the Ozark Highland.

Book Review: Ouachita Mountains Archeology: Researching The Past With Two Projects In Arkansas, Mary Beth Trubitt, 2019, Arkansas Archeological Survey Popular Series No. 6, Isbn 978-1-56349-109-2., Scott W. Hammerstedt

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

This book, written for a general audience, summarizes 10,000 years of history in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. Trubitt draws upon data from Arkansas Archeological Society excavations at the Jones Mill and Dragover sites in southwest Arkansas to produce a highly readable, well-illustrated, and informative volume that introduces the non-professional reader to archaeological work. The use of text boxes to supplement the main narrative, along with a detailed glossary of key terms, allow her to present important concepts without dragging the reader into minutia.

Report: The 62nd Annual Caddo Conference And 27th Annual East Texas Archeological Conference, Tyler, Texas, February 28 And 29, 2020, Thomas H. Guderjan, E. Cory Sills, C. Colleen Hanratty, Keith Eppich, Amanda Regnier, Christy Simmons, Anthony Souther, Mark Walters

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The 62nd Caddo Conference and 27th East Texas Archeological Conference was held at the University Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Tyler on February 28 and 29, 2020. The conference was dedicated to the rebuilding of public facilities at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site. These facilities had been destroyed by a tornado in 2019. The conference organizers were Thomas Guderjan, Colleen Hanratty, Cory Sills, Christy Simmons (University of Texas at Tyler), Keith Eppich (Tyler Junior College), Anthony Souther (Caddo Mounds State Historic Site), Amanda Regnier (Oklahoma Archeological Survey), Mark Walters (Texas Historical Commission Steward). Sponsors included …

Current Research: Index Of Texas Archaeology Ceramic Comparative Collection, Robert Z. Selden Jr., Timothy K. Perttula

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The Index of Texas Archaeology (ITA) (https:// scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita/) was developed by the Heritage Research Center at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) (Figure 1) (Bousman and Selden 2018; Selden and Bousman 2017). ITA was built using the Berkeley Electronic Press (bepress) platform, is part of SFASU’s institutional repository, and is a digital repository that aggregates, distributes, and indexes scarce, limited-production, and digital archaeological works related to the State of Texas and adjacent regions, much of which was produced through publicly-funded projects.