Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 29 of 29
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Death At Snake Hill: A Review Of The Popular Report, Edward L. Bell
Death At Snake Hill: A Review Of The Popular Report, Edward L. Bell
Northeast Historical Archaeology
The popular account of an archaeological investigation of a War of 1812 cemetery in Ontario offers a fine example of the need to relay research results to our interested constituents. Popular reports should emphasize not only the scientific and historical value of archaeological resources, but also encourage public support for adequate preservation planning. Like politics, popular archaeological accounts are highly effective when they appeal to local constituents' interests.
Book Review: Ceramic Makers' Marks By Erica S. Gibson, Patricia Samford
Book Review: Ceramic Makers' Marks By Erica S. Gibson, Patricia Samford
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Ceramic Makers' Marks, by Erica S. Gibson, 2010, Guides to Historical Artifacts, Left Coast Press, 147 pages, 253 black-and-white illustrations, indexes, $89.00 (cloth), $24.95 (paper).
Assumptions About Consumption In The Archaeology Of Late Nineteenth-Century Farmsteads, Niels R. Rinehart
Assumptions About Consumption In The Archaeology Of Late Nineteenth-Century Farmsteads, Niels R. Rinehart
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Farming is typically associated with rural environments. The Dubois Site in Albany, New York, however, presented an opportunity to look at a farmstead close to a growing urban center during the second half of the 19th century. The excavations of the Dubois Site are discussed and the results are compared to the more rural Porter Site, a contemporary 19th-century farmstead. The comparison examines how the different contexts might have impacted consumption and production at the two farms, as well as the treatment of the farmstead landscapes. The two New York sites are then contrasted with four contemporary farm sites in …
Growing Things "Rare, Foreign, And Tender": The Early Nineteenth-Century Greenhouse At Gore Place, Waltham Massachusetts, Christa M. Beranek, J. N. Leith Smith, John M. Steinberg, Michelle G. S. Garman
Growing Things "Rare, Foreign, And Tender": The Early Nineteenth-Century Greenhouse At Gore Place, Waltham Massachusetts, Christa M. Beranek, J. N. Leith Smith, John M. Steinberg, Michelle G. S. Garman
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Excavations and ground penetrating radar at Gore Place in Waltham, Massachusetts, uncovered part of an early 19th-century greenhouse (ca. 1806 to the early 1840s) constructed by Christopher and Rebecca Gore. Documentary, archaeological, and geophysical data suggest that the greenhouse was a formal space intended to display exotic plants and that it was built in the relatively new lean-to style, with a tall back wall and a short front wall. The artifact assemblage included tools and small finds related to the greenhouse operation, as well as the remains of at least 149 planting pots. The greenhouse was constructed during a period …
Patriots, Tories, Inebriates, And Hussies: The Historical Archaeology Of The Abraham Staats House, As A Case Study In Microhistory, Richard Veit, Michael J. Gall
Patriots, Tories, Inebriates, And Hussies: The Historical Archaeology Of The Abraham Staats House, As A Case Study In Microhistory, Richard Veit, Michael J. Gall
Northeast Historical Archaeology
To modern suburbanites, life on a farm may seem hopelessly boring or, alternatively, charming and idyllic. Excavations at the Abraham Staats House in New Jersey’s Raritan Valley, just upriver from New Brunswick, provide a revealing glimpse of the dynamic and contentious lives of 18th- and 19th-century farmers. The Staats family, part of the early 18th-century Dutch migration to the Raritan Valley, saw their lives transformed by the Revolutionary War, the arrival of turnpike roads, the construction of the Delaware and Raritan Canal, the emancipation of slaves, the growth of the temperance movement, and family squabbles of Shakespearean proportions. Excavations at …
The Archaeology Of 19th-Century Health And Hygiene At The Sullivan Street Site, New York City, Jean E. Howson
The Archaeology Of 19th-Century Health And Hygiene At The Sullivan Street Site, New York City, Jean E. Howson
Northeast Historical Archaeology
The households represented by archaeological remains at the Sullivan Street site in Greenwich Village are used to explore issues related to health care in 19th-century New York City. Backyard features and domestic artifact assemblages are discussed in the context of institutional development and specific changes in medical practice. Consumer choices are seen as responses to differential access to sanitation, medical care, and information. Social class had a significant effect on both the infrastructure and material culture of health and hygiene for these households.
The Clay Pipe Assemblage From An 18- And 19th-Century Aboriginal Consumer Site In The Upper Mid-Continent, C.S. "Paddy" Reid
The Clay Pipe Assemblage From An 18- And 19th-Century Aboriginal Consumer Site In The Upper Mid-Continent, C.S. "Paddy" Reid
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Four years of excavations at the multi-component Ballynacree site (DkKp-8), located at the mouth of the Winnipeg River in northwestern Ontario, uncovered a large number of fur trade artifacts spanning virtually the entire period from initial French contact to the end of the fur trade era in the late 19th century. The clay pipe assemblage serves as an example of some unusual aspects of a major aboriginal village site, as opposed to a fur trade post site, as the quantities, time ranges, and types of pipes are at variance with those expected from such a site.
Status, Technology, And Rural Tradition In Western Pennsylvania: Excavations At The Shaeffer Farm Site, John Bedell, Michael Petraglia, Thomas Plummer
Status, Technology, And Rural Tradition In Western Pennsylvania: Excavations At The Shaeffer Farm Site, John Bedell, Michael Petraglia, Thomas Plummer
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Archaeological excavations have been performed at the Shaeffer Farm site (36AR410), a rural residence in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. Documentary research and archaeological investigations indicate that the site was mainly occupied in the 19th century, probably by the Shaeffer family during its earliest occupation phase, and later by tenants. The site consisted of a dry-laid stone foundation and artifacts dating from approximately 1830 until shortly after 1900. The artifacts included architectural, domestic, faunal, and personal items. The study provided information about the lives of rural middle- and lower-class residents in western Pennsylvania, focusing on the housing, diet, recreation, and social aspirations …
Book Review: The Archaeology Of Gender: Separating The Spheres In Urban America By Diana Dizerega Wall, Lorinda B. R. Goodwin
Book Review: The Archaeology Of Gender: Separating The Spheres In Urban America By Diana Dizerega Wall, Lorinda B. R. Goodwin
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Book Review: The Archaeology of Gender: Separating the Spheres in Urban America by Diana diZerega Wall 1994, Plenum Press, New York. Foreword by Stanley South, 241 pages, 17 plates, 33 figures, 37 tables, 5 appendices, $37.50.
Review Essay: Private Lives And Armory Practice: Artifacts And Armsmaking Reconsidered, Regina Lee Blaszczyk
Review Essay: Private Lives And Armory Practice: Artifacts And Armsmaking Reconsidered, Regina Lee Blaszczyk
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Review of Colt: The Making of an American Legend by William N. Hosley, Jr., 1996. University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst and Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford. 254 pp., illustrations, and notes, $49.95 (cloth), $29.95 (paper); and Culture Change and the New Technology: An Archaeology of the Early American Industrial Era by Paul A. Shackel, 1996. Contributions to Global Historical Archaeology, series edited by Charles E. Orser, Jr. Plenum Press, NY. 217 pp., illustrations, appendix, bibliography, and notes, $37.50.
18th- And Early 19th-Century Brickmaking At The John Jay Homestead: The Process, Products, And Craftsmen, Lois M. Feister, Joseph S. Sopko
18th- And Early 19th-Century Brickmaking At The John Jay Homestead: The Process, Products, And Craftsmen, Lois M. Feister, Joseph S. Sopko
Northeast Historical Archaeology
On-site brick kilns were established routinely for construction projects at non-urban sites in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Archaeological excavations at the brick lot at the John Jay Homestead State Historic Site revealed features relating to the manufacture of a brick. Documentary and scientific research revealed information about the brickmakers and established a baseline for the identification of brick sources from three different areas of New York State. Comparisons between brickmakers at the Jay and Schuyler houses and between brickmakers and other craftsmen are discussed here.
"A Ray Of Sunshine In The Sickroom": Archaeological Insights Into Late 19th- And Early 20th-Century Medicine And Anesthesia, Richard Veit
"A Ray Of Sunshine In The Sickroom": Archaeological Insights Into Late 19th- And Early 20th-Century Medicine And Anesthesia, Richard Veit
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Archaeological excavation of a stone-lined feature dating to the late 19th- or early 20th-century in New Brunswick, New Jersey, retrieved a substantial quantity of discarded medical equipment. Artifacts recovered from the feature included syringes, thermometers, test tubes, and scalpels. These remains, associated with the tenure of two prominent physicians, provide an avenue for inquiry into late 19th-century medical practices.
Cellulose Nitrate Plastic (Celluloid) In Archaeological Assemblages: Identification And Care, Megan E. Springate
Cellulose Nitrate Plastic (Celluloid) In Archaeological Assemblages: Identification And Care, Megan E. Springate
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Invented in the mid-19th century, cellulose nitrate is commonly regarded as the earliest synthetic polymer or plastic. As increasing numbers of historical sites dating from the mid-1800s are excavated, cellulose nitrate objects are more frequently found in archaeological assemblages. The inherent instability of cellulose nitrate makes proper handling, storage, and display conditions vital to the longevity of recovered objects. In this paper, the composition, manufacture, and means of identifying cellulose nitrate are summarized. The processes of degradation and means of slowing those processes are elaborated, as well.
A Preliminary Report On The Excavation Of A 19th-Century Derelict Vessel In Cape Neddick, Maine: The Southern New Jersey Coasting Schooner Annabella, Stefan H. Claesson
A Preliminary Report On The Excavation Of A 19th-Century Derelict Vessel In Cape Neddick, Maine: The Southern New Jersey Coasting Schooner Annabella, Stefan H. Claesson
Northeast Historical Archaeology
In 1995, the Insistute of Maritime History conducted the archaeological investigation of a 19th-century coasting schooner, Annabella, in Cape Neddick, Maine. This type of craft, though ubiquitous on the eastern seaboard in the 19th century, has not been documented in an archaeological setting to date in New England. Maine played a pivotal role in America's economy, supplying the southern states and Caribbean Islands with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of raw materials such as timber, stone, ice, lime, and agricultural goods. This vessel was primarily involved in the transportation of cordwood along the east coast of the United States. Its heavily-built, …
"Promiscuous Smoking": Interpreting Gender And Tobacco Use In The Archaeological Record, Lauren J. Cook
"Promiscuous Smoking": Interpreting Gender And Tobacco Use In The Archaeological Record, Lauren J. Cook
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Viewed as a social act, tobacco use is a rich area for archaeological inquiry. The act of tobacco consumption has historically conveyed meaning, communicating self-perceptions of class, ethnicity, and gender roles. Tobacco consumption has also resulted in the use and discard of material culture, often in large quantities, making it of particular interest to archaeologists. The examination of tobacco use as a field for the negotiation of gender roles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries provides an excellent basis for a critical examination of an "archaeology of gender." The constellation of meanings surrounding actions and motivations that emerges …
Historical Skeletal Remains From Dundas County, Ontario: A Cautionary Tale Concerning Individual Identification, Lynda Wood, Janet Young
Historical Skeletal Remains From Dundas County, Ontario: A Cautionary Tale Concerning Individual Identification, Lynda Wood, Janet Young
Northeast Historical Archaeology
A single burial dating to the historic period was unexpectedly discovered on a farm in rural Dundas County, Ontario. Based on a preliminary investigation, the remains were believed to be those of Margaret Ellen Bellway, an 8-year-old girl who lived on the property and who died in the year 1881. The objectives of this article are to demonstrate that establishing individual identification of historical remains is possible, to demonstrate the importance of exploring all relevant avenues of research prior to finalizing individual identification, and to demonstrate the means by which this is done. Skeletal analysis of the remains indicated a …
Interpreting Social Organization At Industrial Sites: An Example From The Ohio Trap Rock Mine, David B. Landon
Interpreting Social Organization At Industrial Sites: An Example From The Ohio Trap Rock Mine, David B. Landon
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Historical archaeologists have frequently tried to interpret aspects of the social organization of production from artifacts at industrial sites. These studies have encompassed a variety of issues: the role of skilled immigrants, the effects of de-skilling work, and the ways workers resisted work discipline or used material culture to express their autonomy. Some recent studies protray the organization of production and the forces of industrialization as the overarching determinants of domestic assemblage pattering, while other studies emphasize factors such as household composition, household lifecycle, and the gender organization of labor. This paper reviews several studies of artifact assemblages from industrial …
Addressing An Historic Preservation Dilemma: The Future Of Nineteenth-Century Farmstead Archaeology In The Northeast, Terry H. Klein, Sherene Baugher
Addressing An Historic Preservation Dilemma: The Future Of Nineteenth-Century Farmstead Archaeology In The Northeast, Terry H. Klein, Sherene Baugher
Northeast Historical Archaeology
This summary article identifies the goals of the volume and a framework for evaluating, interpreting, and preserving farmstead sites. The article also discusses how to apply this framework and mentions the roles of the government, academia, and the public.
Research Questions For The Archaeology Of Rural Places: Experiences From The Middle Atlantic, Wade Catts
Research Questions For The Archaeology Of Rural Places: Experiences From The Middle Atlantic, Wade Catts
Northeast Historical Archaeology
That some 19th-century farmsteads and other rural places have significance is generally conceded as true. Our problem as historical archaeologists is to develop research questions and directions that illuminate and explain to a broad audience the significance of the physical evidence of the sultures of agriculture in American history. This essay looks at some of the writings of early agricultural historians and draws on previous historical and archaeological farmstead studies in the Middle Atlantic region. Ideas about the success (or failure) of field approaches are presented, and suggestions for research directions that could serve as over-arching themes to tie the …
Trying To Think Progressively About 19th-Century Farms, Mary C. Beaudry
Trying To Think Progressively About 19th-Century Farms, Mary C. Beaudry
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Recent excavations at a 19th-century estate manager's farm at Milton, South Uist, in the Western Isles of Scotland, prompt comparison with New England farms of the same era. Of particular interest is the material signature of the move toward "progressive farming" manifested through the construction of model farms and the introduction of industrially-inspired farm management practices and technological innovations. Comparisons drawn between the Hebriden case study, Milton Farm, and the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury Massachusetts.
How The Past Becomes A Place: An Example From 19th-Century Maryland, Julia A. King
How The Past Becomes A Place: An Example From 19th-Century Maryland, Julia A. King
Northeast Historical Archaeology
This paper examines how certain landscapes were remade as places important in the collective memory in 19th-century America. Specifically, archaeological, documentary, and literary evidence are used to show how Susquehanna, a 19th-century tobacco and wheat farm in St. Mary's County, Maryland was reconfigured as a place important in the state's past. By imagining Susquehanna and the region in which it was located as a place in time, many upper and middle class Marylanders were able to reconcile the growing differences between the southern and northern parts of the state. The actions of these 19th-century men and women are not unrelated …
The Archaeology Of Agriculture And Rural Life In Northern Delaware, 1800-1940, Lu Ann De Cunzo
The Archaeology Of Agriculture And Rural Life In Northern Delaware, 1800-1940, Lu Ann De Cunzo
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Like our colleagues across the Northeast, Delaware archaeologists have been challenged by the state's thousands of 19th- through 20th-century agricultural sites. They range from larger farms to small tenancies and laborers' dwellings; many remain at least partially extant, many others survive only below ground. This article introduces the character and diversity, continuity and transformations of 19th- through mid 20th-century Delaware agriculture and rural life, and archaeologists' contributions to our understanding of these phenomena. Narratives of selected agricultural properties and people from New Castle County's Upper Coastal Plain illustrate the approach and the knowledge it has produced, with special emphases on …
Living On The Edge: Consumption And Class At The Keith Site, Maria O'Donovan, Lou Ann Wurst
Living On The Edge: Consumption And Class At The Keith Site, Maria O'Donovan, Lou Ann Wurst
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Ceramics from the Keith Site, a farmstead in upstate New York, are principally expensive, early nineteenth century table and tea vessels. Documentary evidence places the site occupation at the mid-century which is confirmed by TPQ dates. Moreover, the site's residents were lower class farmers and other artifact classes show little investment in consumption. These discrepancies become clear when we consider the high diversity of ceramic vessels, which we would expect if the site residents purchased older, cheaper vessels in "odd lots." Consumer choise models rest on ideologically loaded assumptions of free will and unlimited choice in the market place. The …
Rethinking The Mengkom-Mixing Bowl: Salvage Archaeology At The Johannes Luyster House, A Dutch-American Farm, Gerard P. Scharfenberger, Richard F. Veit
Rethinking The Mengkom-Mixing Bowl: Salvage Archaeology At The Johannes Luyster House, A Dutch-American Farm, Gerard P. Scharfenberger, Richard F. Veit
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Salvage excavations at the Johannes Luyster Farm (28Mo261) revleade extensive archaeological depostis reflecting three centuries of life on a Dutch-American farm. These deposties, when taken in conjunction with the architecture of the house and surviving primary documents, provide a glimpse of the changing lifestyles of the Jersey Dutch during the 19th century. Although the Luysters maintained some aspects of their ethnic heritage, they also participated in many aspects of the larger society. Case studies of the individual sites such as this one are a first step towards understanding the interrelationships between national trends and their local manifestations. Furthermore, they highlight …
Burning Down The House: The Archaeological Manifestation Of Fire On Historic Domestic Sites, Dena Doroszenko
Burning Down The House: The Archaeological Manifestation Of Fire On Historic Domestic Sites, Dena Doroszenko
Northeast Historical Archaeology
This paper examines the manifestation of fire as found archaeologically at two historic domestic sites in Ontario. Each site experienced a burning episode of varying significance in the property's history. Soil deposition, debris fields, heat alteration of artifacts, fire intensity, and types of fire debris are discussed.
What Is It? Archaeological Evidence Of 19th-Century Agricultural Drainage Systems, Sherene Baugher
What Is It? Archaeological Evidence Of 19th-Century Agricultural Drainage Systems, Sherene Baugher
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Farm drainage was an integral part of the agricultural revloution of the 19th century- a tim during which farmers applied scientific practices to increase the productivity of their farms. As archaeologiests excavate larger portions of the 19th century farmsteads beyond the immediate area surrounding the farmhouse and barns, they will begin to uncover drainage systems more frequently. How do you know you have located a non-tile drainage system? What can drains actually tell you about the farmer and the farmstead? The goal of this paper is to help colleagues save time when working on farm sites by presenting a reference …
Recovering Information Worth Knowing: Developing More Discriminating Approaches For Selecting Nineteenth-Century Rural Domestic Sites And Farmsteads, Karen D. Mccann, Robert L. Ewing
Recovering Information Worth Knowing: Developing More Discriminating Approaches For Selecting Nineteenth-Century Rural Domestic Sites And Farmsteads, Karen D. Mccann, Robert L. Ewing
Northeast Historical Archaeology
This article examines the difficulties faced by one state agency (NYSDOT) when the primary focus of a cultural resource survey program shifts from managing rare and clearly significant archaeological sites to a cultural resource survey program that addresses the more commonly found historical archaeological sites associated with mid to late 19th-century farmsteads and rural domestic sites. It encourages a critical review of cultural resource survey results in order to develop meaningful and effective selection criteria for deciding how limited public funds should be allocated for cultural resource surveys.
The Archaeology Of 19th-Century Farmsteads: The Results Of A Workshop Held At The 1997 Annual Meeting Of The Council For Northeast Historical Archaeology, Terry H. Klein, George L. Miller, Mark Shaffer, Wade Catts, Mary Beaudry, Lu Ann De Cunzo, Dena Doroszenko
The Archaeology Of 19th-Century Farmsteads: The Results Of A Workshop Held At The 1997 Annual Meeting Of The Council For Northeast Historical Archaeology, Terry H. Klein, George L. Miller, Mark Shaffer, Wade Catts, Mary Beaudry, Lu Ann De Cunzo, Dena Doroszenko
Northeast Historical Archaeology
A workshop was held at the 1997 annual meeting of the Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology (CNEHA) to address the question "What do we do with 19th-century farmsteads in the Northeast?" The workshop involved several brainstorming sessions in which the participants examined topics and problems associated with current approaches to the archaeological investigation of farmstead sites. These brainstorming sessions examined questions such as: "What is a 19th-century farmstead?" "What are the research and public values of these sites?" "Which sites should be examined?" and "How should these sites be investigated?" The workshop ended with the development of an action agenda …
Introduction: The Archaeology Of Nineteenth-Century Farmsteads In Northeastern Canada And The United States, Sherene Baugher, Terry H. Klein
Introduction: The Archaeology Of Nineteenth-Century Farmsteads In Northeastern Canada And The United States, Sherene Baugher, Terry H. Klein
Northeast Historical Archaeology
This introduction to this joint volume discusses the importance of 19th century farmstead sites as discussed at the 1997 annual CNEHA meeting in Altoona, Pennsylvania. This meeting examined the current issues associated with the approach to archaeological investigations of 19th-century farmsteads.