United States History Commons^™

Forging Industry: Craft Practice At The Delaware Mine Blacksmith Shop, Lucy A. Gibbs

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This thesis examines the archaeological remains of a nineteenth-century blacksmith shop associated with the Delaware Mine Site in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. Blacksmiths played an important role in early mining operations, providing the metalworking services and tool maintenance necessary to support mineral extraction. Drawing on evidence from the 2025 Michigan Technological University field school, the study investigates the shop’s operational lifespan, organization, and potential activities as it supported daily mining operations. Artifact analysis, spatial reconstruction, soil testing, and archival sources assist in reconstructing shop functions and history.

Results indicate that the shop was likely constructed during the earliest development of the …

Mississippi Dugout Canoes: An Ethnohistorical And Archaeological Analysis From 1538-1900s, Sean N. Mccraw

Master's Theses

Watercraft remains an overlooked aspect of Southeastern historical and archaeological scholarship. A more complete understanding has the potential to illuminate aspects of the human social process in anthropology and a more accurate construction of historical events. Recent Developments in Southeastern Archaeology, published in 2012, mentions the importance of the connections that water travel facilitated, but the work does not mention any serious investigation. While history has investigated the role native trails played in the development of the region, and while Andrew Lippmann has illustrated the agency that boat skills and watercraft gave Natives in the coastal North American region during …

The Role Of Imagination In Archaeology: Linking Contemplation And Method At The Amache National Historic Site, Sami Zepponi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Archaeology is both a science and an interpretative process, blending material discovery with imagination to reconstruct past experiences. This research, conducted through the 2024 University of Denver Amache Field School, explores the archaeological imagination and the creative and cognitive engagement that shapes historical interpretation. Using Amache, a WWII Japanese American incarceration site, as a case study, this thesis examines how material culture, landscape modifications, and reflection inform archaeological understanding. This study explores how imagination connects tangible findings to cultural narratives by integrating community-based archaeology, place and landscape theory, and contemplative inquiry. Findings highlight imagination as essential to archaeology, enabling deeper …

Healthcare Access And Agency In Material Culture: A Specialized Analysis Of Pharmaceutical Artifacts From Louisville’S West End., Sara Marian (Deurell) Ignacio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The American Victorian Period of the 1870s to 1920s was a time of significant transitions in medicine. In Louisville, Kentucky, this period saw an influx of Black healthcare professionals and the founding of Louisville National Medical College, the state’s first medical school open to people of color. A number of these professionals lived and/or practiced in the Beecher Terrace study area, which was excavated between 2017 and 2020. Patent medicine brands and archival records were examined qualitatively in order to understand neighborhood and case study household health concerns and consumer choice. Statistical analyses of the medicine bottles recovered during the …

Guns, Glass, And Metal And The Applications Of Traditional Technology In The 19th Century Southern Platte, Aaron Toussaint

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I investigate how Indigenous communities of the North American Central Plains navigated settler-colonialism by adapting traditional hunting technology. To frame this I ask, how and why traditional technology was favored over introduced firearm technology? I investigate this by examining archaeological collections from Fort Vasquez and the Coffin's Buffalo Kill Site, ethnographic history of the Central Plains, Indigenous ledger art, and interviewing a ledger artist. This study uses a multifaceted theoretical approach to connect hybrid projectile point artifacts, with Indigenous historic documentation, to recognize Indigenous agency in the 19th century. This thesis counters historic narratives of the 19th …

We’Re Not In Texas Anymore: Archaeological Investigations In Historic Dallas, Colorado, Tristan Newberry-Cushman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work is the product of an archaeological investigation of the former townsite of Dallas, Colorado. Archival research, drone photography, shovel test pits (STPs), and a test excavation unit were employed to learn more about how the people of Dallas lived, and how they interacted with national systems. Probabilistic and purposive sampling were used to collect data, and both quantitative and qualitative analysis were performed. The goal of this research was to determine which theoretical model best explains how Dallas was connected to national cultural and economic systems.

The Implications Of Waste Streams At Camp Au Train, Timothy J. Maze

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Archaeological remains from Camp Au Train provide an opportunity to understand sanitation methods during its use as a Civilian Conservation Corps camp and later used to house German Prisoners of War during World War II. Seven refuse features from this camp were excavated and their contents linked to functional locations within the camp in order to reconstruct waste streams across the site and to observe how military aspects of sanitation were implemented by an organization infamous for its emphasis on cleanliness, order, and hygiene. While the importance of sanitation is often mentioned by historians and archaeologists in research of these …

Down The Bay Oral History Project Newsletter - Summer 2023, Center For Archaeological Studies, Mccall Library

Down the Bay Oral History Project Newsletter

Public newsletter sharing information about progress and discoveries during the ongoing Down The Bay Project.

Down The Bay Oral History Project Newsletter - Spring 2023, Center For Archaeological Studies, Mccall Library

Down the Bay Oral History Project Newsletter

Public newsletter sharing information about progress and discoveries during the ongoing Down The Bay Project.

Re-Curation And Recognition: Addressing The Curation Crisis Through The Garnet Ghost Town, Jocelyn A. Palombo

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As universities, federal curation facilities, public museums, and private collections struggle to create space on their shelves curators and archaeologists continuously evaluate what must continue to be stored and what needs to be deaccessioned. Utilizing a collection housed at the University of Montana I explore strategies for combating this issue. The collection originates from the Garnet Ghost Town and has been in the university’s care since its excavation. The objectives of this project are to obtain new information and incorporate innovative techniques to learn more about the collection itself and provide an updated analysis to one of Montana’s most complete …

(Re)Constructing Homescapes: “Archaeological Remote Sensing” And Ground-Truthing Of The Walker Place Homestead At Spirit Hill Farm, Tate County, Mississippi, Gabriel Griffin

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on an early nineteenth-century homestead known as the Walker Place homestead at Spirit Hill Farm in northern Mississippi. The goal of this thesis is to conduct a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and shovel test survey to explore how changing landscapes simultaneously (re)create and destroy senses of place or Homescapes. Homescapes have received little attention in the field of archaeology and have not been applied to Euro-American Homescapes. I apply this theoretical construct in a novel way as a venture to further develop an avenue in archaeology to be collaborative and understand the past in a way that accurately …

Analysis Of Artifacts And Storage Organization: Clinton Lock 2, Hannah Curtis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For this project, we are hoping to address the potential problems and help refine future work between the storage in the Cummings Center and the Anthropology Department. Some of the research questions that we have are: What is in the Cummings Center from the Anthropology Department? What type of techniques is the most beneficial in storing archaeological material? How are the items stored in the Cummings Center? Is this method of storage going to protect or damage the artifact? Do we still need to keep this material, returned to its original owner, or can it be deaccessioned? We plan to …

Https://Dot.Nebraska.Gov/Media/4yaemfil/M100-Nebraska-Buried-Archeological-Sites-Phase-Ii.Pdf, Anthony L. Layzell, Rolfe D. Mandel, Courtney L. Ziska, John R. Bozell

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This project developed a GIS to assist with the identification of deeply buried archeological sites in alluvial settings across Nebraska with the exception of the Sandhills region. Soil survey data, previous geoarcheological investigations, landform position, and other information was used to rank the potential of any stream valley setting as low, low-moderate, moderate-high, or high potential to contain buried soils (paleosols). While the presence of buried soils does not necessarily translate to presence of buried archeological sites, the potential for such sites is far greater in paleosols. The GIS can be used by NDOT and other agencies with statutory historic …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

Ripley Engraved Ceramics: Taxonomic Re-Classification Into New Types And Associated Varieties, Timothy K. Perttula

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

Ripley Engraved was initially defined by Suhm and Krieger and Suhm and Jelks from large numbers of ceramic vessels recovered in excavations by University of Texas archaeologists and avocational archaeologists from what are now known to be post-A.D. 1450 ancestral Caddo sites of the Titus phase in parts of the Sulphur, Big Cypress, and Sabine stream basins in East Texas. Far-flung examples of Ripley Engraved are also present in McCurtain phase features on the middle Red River, on the Red River in Northwest Louisiana, and in Salt Lick phase sites in the middle part of the Sabine River basin. A …