The Mount Vernon Midden Project - presenting archaeological collections

Summary

The Mount Vernon Midden Project website showcases archaeological collections from Mount Vernon, George Washington’’s Potomac plantation. The midden website presents over 700 selected objects, each with catalog information, images and ‘public text.’ Additionally the objects are tagged, and linked to thematic articles (gender, consumerism etc.) and object types (shot, beads, tea etc.). The archaeological collections are also integrated with several primary documentary sources: ‘ a local account book, and Washington’s orders and invoices.Both in design and content the site is intended to serve audiences outside of archaeology, while maintaining a scholarly focus. This paper examines how this website promotes the use of primary archaeological data, and how it attempts to integrate multiple primary sources, and other contextual material.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• Researching Historical Archaeological Collections: An Assessment of Current Techniques

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-75,06