Reexamining Invisibility: Memories of Catoctin Furnace African American Cemetery Archaeology

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Retrospective: 50 Years Of Research And Changing Narratives At Catoctin Furnace, Maryland", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

During the 1979/1980 Phase III excavation of the Catoctin Furnace African American cemetery, Sharon Ann Burnston served as field supervisor under the direction of the late Ron Thomas, Principal Investigator of Mid-Atlantic Archaeological Research, Inc. Her memories of the data recovery field sessions and her subsequent publications reflect her understanding of the enslaved persons as “invisible people,” a truth that reflected the prevailing narrative of the time. Reanalysis of the cemetery remains has validated the rigor that was brought to the investigation, and her memories are an essential aspect of the archaeological history of the site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023   •
• Retrospective: 50 Years Of Research And Changing Narratives At Catoctin Furnace, Maryland

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow