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Full-Text Articles in Archaeological Anthropology

18th- And Early 19th-Century Brickmaking At The John Jay Homestead: The Process, Products, And Craftsmen, Lois M. Feister, Joseph S. Sopko Oct 2013

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.


Anatomy Of An Almshouse Complex, Sherene Baugher, Edward J. Lenik Oct 2013

Anatomy Of An Almshouse Complex, Sherene Baugher, Edward J. Lenik

Northeast Historical Archaeology

The focus of this paper is to determine the age and function of a partial building foundation uncovered during archaeological testing in City Hall Park, New York City. The authors use evidence from historical maps, prints, and documents, as well as archaeological evidence, to determine the function of the building. The evidence suggests that the foundation is an outbuilding that was part of an 18th-century colonial almshouse complex. The foundation appears to be the remains of the almshouse kitchen.


Book Review: The Great Warpath: British Military Sites From Albany To Crown Point By David Starbuck, Charles L. Fisher Oct 2013

Book Review: The Great Warpath: British Military Sites From Albany To Crown Point By David Starbuck, Charles L. Fisher

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Book Review: The Great Warpath: British Military Sites from Albany to Crown Point by David Starbuck, 1999, University Press of New England, Hanover, NH, 224 pages, 100 illus., 50 figs., $19.95 (paper).


Comments On: "I Know It's Only Rock 'N' Roll But They Like It!" By Stefan Bielinski, Carol Mcdavid Oct 2013

Comments On: "I Know It's Only Rock 'N' Roll But They Like It!" By Stefan Bielinski, Carol Mcdavid

Northeast Historical Archaeology

The author comments on I Know It's Only Rock 'n' Roll But They Like It! Community History, Popular Music, and Public Audiences by Stefan Bielinski.


Is It Just Rock 'N' Roll? A Comment On Stefan Bielinski's Community History, Popular Music, And Public Audiences, James G. Gibb Oct 2013

Is It Just Rock 'N' Roll? A Comment On Stefan Bielinski's Community History, Popular Music, And Public Audiences, James G. Gibb

Northeast Historical Archaeology

The author comments on I Know It's Only Rock 'n' Roll But They Like It! Community History, Popular Music, and Public Audiences by Stefan Bielinski.


I Know It's Only Rock 'N' Roll But They Like It! A Community History, Popular Music, And Public Audiences, Stefan Bielinski Oct 2013

I Know It's Only Rock 'N' Roll But They Like It! A Community History, Popular Music, And Public Audiences, Stefan Bielinski

Northeast Historical Archaeology

The author discusses community history, popular music, and public audiences using a multidisciplinary approach. These themes are discussed with an example from the Colonial Albany Social History Project.


Seventeenth-Century Portuguese Faianca And Its Presence In Colonial America, Charlotte Wilcoxen Oct 2013

Seventeenth-Century Portuguese Faianca And Its Presence In Colonial America, Charlotte Wilcoxen

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Nineteenth- and 20th-century writers deprecated Portugal's 17th-century ceramics, and some American archaeologists have not recognized the quantity or quality of the remains of these on east coast American colonial sites, or learned to identify the sherds. Civil War in England in the 1640s deprived that country's colonies of critical economic support during those years; the colonists were forced to build ships and engage in their own trade with European countries. Colony by colony, this is examined; Sphardic Jewish merchants from Portugal living here at times promoted the trade, as well as American factors living in Portugal or its islands. The …


Towards An Archaeology Of The Hudson River Ice Harvesting Industry, Wendy Elizabeth Harris, Arnold Pickman Oct 2013

Towards An Archaeology Of The Hudson River Ice Harvesting Industry, Wendy Elizabeth Harris, Arnold Pickman

Northeast Historical Archaeology

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, natural ice cut from the Hudson River provided the New York City metropolitan area with much of its supply. This article briefly examines the history and technology of this industry, and its impact on local workers, commuities, and landscapes. The documentary history and visible remains of three ice house sites are analyzed, with ice house technology viewed as an integrated system of production and transportation. Results suggest that archaeological examination of such sites can be used to study variations in ice industry technology and reveal features not mentioned in the documentary record. …


Book Review: Massacre At Fort William Henry, By David R. Starbuck, 2002, Marshall Joseph Becker Sep 2013

Book Review: Massacre At Fort William Henry, By David R. Starbuck, 2002, Marshall Joseph Becker

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Book Review of Massacre at Fort William Henry, by David R. Starbuck 2002, University Press of New England, Hanover, New Hampshire. 148 pages, 83 illlus., $16.95 (paper)


Living On The Edge: Consumption And Class At The Keith Site, Maria O'Donovan, Lou Ann Wurst Sep 2013

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 …


What Is It? Archaeological Evidence Of 19th-Century Agricultural Drainage Systems, Sherene Baugher Sep 2013

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 …


"She Of Gentle Manners": An Examination Of The Widow Pomeroy's Table And Tea Wares And The Emerging Domestic Sphere In Kinderhook, New York, Megan E. Sullivan Dec 2012

"She Of Gentle Manners": An Examination Of The Widow Pomeroy's Table And Tea Wares And The Emerging Domestic Sphere In Kinderhook, New York, Megan E. Sullivan

Graduate Masters Theses

Following the American Revolution, the new gender ideologies of Republican Motherhood and the Cult of Domesticity gained in popularity that associated men with the public sphere and relegated women to the private domestic sphere. Women were now tasked with the important job of raising the future citizens of the fledgling Republic. The quality of family and home life took on extra importance, and the elaboration of meals and the ceramics used in these rituals changed accordingly. This thesis analyzes the table and tea wares from an archaeological assemblage located in upstate New York that dates to the turn of the …


Book Review Of " 'The Most Advantatageous Situatation In The Highlands': An Archaeological Study Of Fort Montgomery State Historic Site" Edited By Charles L. Fisher, 2004, New York State Museum, Cultural Resource Survey Program Series No. 2, Albany, 182 Pages, $24.95 (Paper)., Christopher T. Espenshade Nov 2012

Book Review Of " 'The Most Advantatageous Situatation In The Highlands': An Archaeological Study Of Fort Montgomery State Historic Site" Edited By Charles L. Fisher, 2004, New York State Museum, Cultural Resource Survey Program Series No. 2, Albany, 182 Pages, $24.95 (Paper)., Christopher T. Espenshade

Northeast Historical Archaeology

A concise review of "The Most Advantageous Situation in the Highlands", which details the archaeological study of Fort Montgomery in Orange County, New York.


Bricks And An Evolving Industrial Landscape: The West Point Foundry And New York's Hudson River Valley, Timothy James Scarlett, Jeremy Rahn, Daniel Scott Nov 2012

Bricks And An Evolving Industrial Landscape: The West Point Foundry And New York's Hudson River Valley, Timothy James Scarlett, Jeremy Rahn, Daniel Scott

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Ongoing archaeological research at Scenic Hudson’s West Point Foundry Preserve in Cold Spring, New York, has permitted systematic collection of data related to fire and common brick brands that appear throughout the foundry’s campus. Archaeologists have begun to correlate the varied ceramic building material with periods in the evolution of this 19th-century industrial landscape. Hudson River Valley brick making provides an interesting comparison to the foundry’s history since both industries were tied to the overall development of New York City’s urban fabric.


Conclusion: Meditations On The Archaeology Of Northern Plantations, Stephen A. Mrozowski,, Katherine Howlett Hayes, Heather Trigg, Jack Gary Sep 2011

Conclusion: Meditations On The Archaeology Of Northern Plantations, Stephen A. Mrozowski,, Katherine Howlett Hayes, Heather Trigg, Jack Gary

Northeast Historical Archaeology

A summary of the methods employed and the conclusions reached after nine seasons of archaeological fieldwork are presented. Emphasis is placed on the success and limitations of the methods employed in the investigations at Sylvester Manor and results of those investigations. Although excavations concentrated on the plantation core, additional areas examined produced little in the way of archaeological features. The results, although preliminary, point to a major role for Native Americans as laborers during the earliest phases of the plantation’s operation. Landscape evidence also suggests an evolving economy as the Manor transitions from a provisioning operation to a commercial farm/tenant …


Zooarchaeological Evidence For Animal Husbandry And Foodways At Sylvester Manor, Sarah Sportman, Craig Cipolla,, David Landon Sep 2011

Zooarchaeological Evidence For Animal Husbandry And Foodways At Sylvester Manor, Sarah Sportman, Craig Cipolla,, David Landon

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Analysis of over 12,000 zooarchaeological specimens recovered from Sylvester Manor provides archaeological evidence to complement the limited historical information about stock raising and food consumption on the plantation. The analyzed collection derives from the south lawn midden deposit at the site, and contains primarily the remains of domestic sheep, cattle, and pigs. The domestic animal ages, based on tooth eruption and wear, suggest aspects of the animal husbandry system. The patterns of skeletal part representation suggest most of the bones from the midden are refuse from household consumption rather than waste from exported foodstuffs. The Sylvesters and their tenant farmers …


Cider, Wheat, Maize, And Firewood: Paleoethnobotany At Sylvester Manor, Heather Trigg, Ashley Leasure Sep 2011

Cider, Wheat, Maize, And Firewood: Paleoethnobotany At Sylvester Manor, Heather Trigg, Ashley Leasure

Northeast Historical Archaeology

The paleoethnobotanical analysis program at Sylvester Manor is designed to investigate the relationships between the Sylvesters, their workers, and the botanical environment. Most of the contexts sampled provide information about domestic household consumption. The site residents used large quantities of oak for fuel and possibly building construction. Documents provide more robust information about the production of crops and interactions with Native peoples, suggesting that local Native Americans provided a source of labor for the production of crops.


The Laboratory Excavation Of A Soil Block From Sylvester Manor, Dennis Piechota Sep 2011

The Laboratory Excavation Of A Soil Block From Sylvester Manor, Dennis Piechota

Northeast Historical Archaeology

This article describes a method of retrieving a large intact soil block from the midden area of the Sylvester Manor site. The soil was micro-stratigraphically excavated within a laboratory setting and analyzed using new approaches to the direct observation of micro-artifact distributions and trace residues on soil surfaces. Low technology analytical methods were selected from fields unrelated to archaeology but readily accessible to workers in a standard archaeological processing laboratory. Preliminary findings are presented in the hope that new low-cost field and laboratory methods can be developed. For example particle mapping of micro-artifacts by direct observation of soil profiles is …


Material Culture And Multi-Cultural Interactions At Sylvester Manor, Jack Gary Sep 2011

Material Culture And Multi-Cultural Interactions At Sylvester Manor, Jack Gary

Northeast Historical Archaeology

The material culture recovered from Sylvester Manor’s 17th-century deposits not only informs our understanding of the plantation’s depositional history but also is characteristic of cultural interactions between Europeans, Native Americans, and possibly Africans. The mixture of cultural material in these deposits suggests intense and sustained cultural interactions that have lead to the production and use of certain materials outside of their cultural norms. Several of these items are European goods altered for use in Native or possibly African cultural systems, while other items reflect the creolization of material culture by blending morphological and stylistic attributes of two material cultures. These …


The Use Of Soil Micromorphology At Sylvester Manor, Eric Proebsting Sep 2011

The Use Of Soil Micromorphology At Sylvester Manor, Eric Proebsting

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Soil micromorphology is a vibrant sub-discipline of archaeology that studies sediment fabric, color, composition, shape, layering, and sorting using intact soil cores and thin sections. This technique takes into account the dynamic relationship between people and the world in which they live, and has contributed useful archaeological data to the Sylvester Manor Project. This paper constructs a landscape history for portions of the South and West lawns using soil cores and thin sections. Results reveal how Sylvester Manor’s lawn, Midden, and Brick and Mortar Layer were composed, as well as how they were changed over time by plant and animal …


Field Excavations At Sylvester Manor, Katherine Howlett Hayes Sep 2011

Field Excavations At Sylvester Manor, Katherine Howlett Hayes

Northeast Historical Archaeology

This chapter describes the overall field strategy and summarizes nine seasons of field excavations at Sylvester Manor. All tested site areas are described, with greatest detail given to the areas relevant to the research questions on the early plantation period, as well as the pre-Contact/Colonial Native American occupation areas. This overview of the excavations also provides a broad interpretation of the results relating to the early colonial landscape, associations between site areas, and the longer term Native American occupation of the site.


Geophysical Explorations At Sylvester Manor, Kenneth L. Kvamme Sep 2011

Geophysical Explorations At Sylvester Manor, Kenneth L. Kvamme

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Geophysical surveys were undertaken at the Sylvester Manor Estate, on Shelter Island, New York, in the summer of 2000. This work helped identify and map components of the buried cultural landscape at this plantation where Dutch, English, Native Americans, and enslaved Africans labored in the second half of the 17th century and later. A second goal was to map features of historic gardens that are known to have existed, and explore the possibility of cultural features in a distant “West Peninsula” area. Ground-penetrating radar, magnetic gradiometry, and electrical resistance surveys were employed. The electrical resistance data, acquired at 25 cm …


The Archaeology Of Sylvester Manor, Stephen A. Mrozowski, Katherine Howlett Hayes, Anne P. Hancock Sep 2011

The Archaeology Of Sylvester Manor, Stephen A. Mrozowski, Katherine Howlett Hayes, Anne P. Hancock

Northeast Historical Archaeology

This chapter introduces the history of the Sylvester Manor Project. It emphasizes the importance of the interdisciplinary approach employed during the project and the overall goals of the investigations. A discussion of pluralistic space and its importance as a central theme of the investigations is also presented. This is followed by a discussion of the Native American history of Shelter Island and its European colonization with particular attention given to the initial establishment of Sylvester Manor as a provisioning plantation, its connections to two large sugar plantations on Barbados, and its subsequent transformation into a commercial estate.


The Archaeology Of The Matron’S Cottage:A Household Of Female Employees At Sailors’ Snug Harbor,Staten Island, New York, Sherene Baugher Apr 2011

The Archaeology Of The Matron’S Cottage:A Household Of Female Employees At Sailors’ Snug Harbor,Staten Island, New York, Sherene Baugher

Northeast Historical Archaeology

At Sailors’ Snug Harbor (1833 – 1976), a charitable institution for retired seamen located on Staten Island, New York, the Matron’s Cottage housed the unmarried, full-time, female employees. From 1845- 1880, it also housed the Steward and his wife in separate quarters. The women worked as seamstresses, cooks, and washerwomen. The Matron was an educated woman who could keep detailed records and was the director of the female staff. The archaeological evidence at the site of the Matron’s Cottage, together with primary source documents, reveals information on the life of these 19th-century working-class women within their household. To place the …