A "Color" Test: Subsistence Practices among Racially Integrated Communities between 1839 and 1890 in the Midwest Region

Summary

Sitting one quarter of a mile from the banks of the Ohio River in New Richmond, Ohio, are the foundational remnants of a 19th century school house and associated dormitory.The historical and archaeological work of this site are part of an ongoing transdisciplinary project, named for the school, The Parker Academy Project. The college preparatory academy, opened in 1839 by Reverend Daniel Parker and his wife, Priscilla Parker, is the first known documented school in Ohio to accept anyone regardless of race, gender, or religion. Archaeological evidence uncovered at the site, and archival records indicate that residents of the academy lived together in unison sharing daily chores and activities. Foodways during the antebellum and postbellum periods have been well documented on both black and white communities, however, less research has been conducted to discern if foodways continued to reflect individual socio-cultural behaviors upon convergence, or if each culture adapted to one another’s practices. The methodology in this research is preliminary, but it includes compiling a comparative literature analysis using historic documents, Parker Academy archives, and that from other racially integrated sites between 1839 and 1890. Furthermore, text analysis will be supplemented by cultural materials uncovered from all sites researched.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16920