Household Objects: Approaches to Material Culture Analysis

DOCUMENT Citation Only Olivia A. McDaniel. Mark Warner.

Explorations of Chinese occupied sites in the United States have often commented on the presence of Chinese medicines on those sites and how those products represent the continuity of Chinese practices.  What has received considerably less attention is the use of Euroamerican patent medicines by Chinese immigrants.  Recent excavations in Sandpoint, Idaho have provided a unique opportunity to explore this issue.  Excavations of a Chinese residence/business resulted in the recovery of...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Justin E. Eichelberger.

The presence of beverage alcohol containers and smoking pipes recovered from Fort Yamhill and Fort Hoskins is undeniable evidence for the consumption of such indulgence items at these two military posts.  The historical and archival record is not only laden with evidence of this behavior but also suggests that these forts were punctuated by periods of the institutional acceptance and prohibition concerning the consumption of alcohol.  The spatial distribution of the alcohol related artifacts...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Lauren Silverstein.

Smuttynose Island, Maine is a well preserved fishing site that documents approximately 200 years of occupation divided into two distinct fishing periods with different political structures.  The first, independently operated (1640-1720) and the second, under single ownership (1760-1830). This project focuses on examining the glass related to the fishing site. By creating a timeline of when specific glass manufacturing techniques were utilized, I am able to group glass by fishing period. This...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Esther Rimer.

Almost immediately after the perfection of English lead glass in 1676, lead glass appeared on the tables of British colonists, including Chesapeake settlers. The durability and beauty of English lead glass made it a consumer amenity that became a regular sight in upper and middle-class homes and taverns throughout the 18th-century Atlantic World. This paper will compare evidence of lead glass found at pre-1700 and early 18th-century plantations between Maryland and the James River to assess...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Sarah Heffner.

This paper discusses the exchange of healthcare practices between Overseas Chinese and Euro-Americans in Nevada from 1860-1930. Analysis of medicinal artifacts from seven archaeological sites in Nevada yielded evidence of Chinese consumption of Euro-American patent medicines and Euro-American use of Chinese medicines. A number of different factors may have influenced the decision of Chinese individuals to purchase and consume Euro-American medicines. These include discrimination from public...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Christine H Heacock.

Archaeological investigations at James Madison’s Montpelier have shed light on activities associated with James Madison Jr., 4th president of the United States.   Madison’s political career and contributions to the founding of the nation made his name last throughout history. Perhaps just as crucial to securing his legacy were the parties hosted by his wife Dolley Madison both in Washington and at the family home. Of particular interest is the fact that the couple entertained extensively after...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Lori Lee.

Objects classified as personal adornment are often vested with meanings that reveal significant insight into their owners because they are personal. The context in which objects are used is critical to understanding potential meanings. This essay considers the recontextualization of personal adornment items, particularly glass beads, a pierced coin, and an alloy fastener, used by enslaved laborers at antebellum Poplar Forest plantation. The enslaved mobilized these forms of material culture in...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Dudley Gardner.

In addition to the spread of Chinese populations around the Pacific Rim in the nineteenth century, Chinese manufactured goods also were sold throughout the South Pacific. Fijian’s, Tongans, and Maoris purchased Chinese Ceramics and iron implements. The Chinese immigrants who lived on islands in the region also provided needed services. Bakeries and grocery stores and retail stores ran by Chinese owners carried goods manufactured in China. The end result was an archaeological signature that...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Lene Høst-Madsen.

Refuse dumps in Copenhagen comprise a broad variety of imports from abroad and show that the new world did indeed influence a small capital like Copenhagen in the post-medieval period. The archaeological finds are unique in an international perspective. Well-preserved leather, textile, hair and other organic components supplement the common ceramic material. The finds from several large post-medieval waterfront excavations form a very strong archaeological source material for urban material...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Christian J. Haunton.

The seven Amana villages of east-central Iowa were founded in the mid 19th century by German pietists seeking a removed location in which to practice their unique form of communal Christianity. In 1932 the community voted to separate the governing body of the church from the political and economic facets of community life for the first time, this event is remembered today as the "Great Change." In summer of 2012 a group of outhouses were excavated at the Amanas as part of a project to look at...