Scott Cemetery: an Abandoned Early 20th Century Cemetery in Dallas
Part of: Society for Historical Archaeology 2017
An abandoned cemetery west of downtown Dallas, Texas, was moved by AR Consultants, Inc. after careful recording and research funded by the land developer. The cemetery was covered by debris and construction trash in the mid-1900s after the area was turned into a borrow pit. The Scott Family Cemetery was dedicated in 1903, however excavations revealed it was in use before the dedication circa 1870s to 1931. Jack Scott, a Dallas resident since 1869, and five family members were buried in the cemetery. This symposium will discuss the cemetery's removal and interpretations of the lives of the family; including the process of discovering an abandoned cemetery in Texas and the subsequent steps necessary for excavation, the pitfalls in excavating loose soils - now and then, taphonomic processes, preservation, and influences from funerary practices, coffin hardware typology and comparisons with local cemeteries, and skeletal changes associated with Victorian clothing styles.
Other Keywords
Cemetery •
bioarchaeology •
Historic Cemetery •
Coffin Hardware •
Taphonomy •
Abandoned •
Corset •
Historic •
Funerary Archaeology •
Excavation Methods
Temporal Keywords
Early 20th Century •
19th Century •
Historic •
1880-1931 •
Victorian era, 1848-1885
Geographic Keywords
North America •
Coahuila (State / Territory) •
New Mexico (State / Territory) •
Oklahoma (State / Territory) •
Arizona (State / Territory) •
Texas (State / Territory) •
Sonora (State / Territory) •
United States of America (Country) •
Chihuahua (State / Territory) •
Nuevo Leon (State / Territory)
Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-5 of 5)
- Documents (5)
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Bones Wearing Bow Ties: Differential Preservation in Funerary Taphonomy (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
The skeletal remains excavated from Scott Cemetery were well preserved while, in contrast, coffin and textile remains were generally poorly preserved. A soil pH test was conducted, with the sandy soil being an alkaline 7.8. The well preserved bone, adipocere formation, and poor textile preservation reflect established literature on the effects of alkaline soils. Burials with a high degree of roots, likely from remains of a tree that had grown through the grave shafts, were less preserved than...
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Coffin Hardware from the Scott Cemetery: a comparison with the Freedman's Cemetery (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Excavations at Scott Cemetery in Dallas led to the rediscovery of three adult and three sub-adult burials. While the preservation of coffin wood was poor, intact coffin hardware was recovered. Artifacts include coffin and casket handles, various nails and thumb screws, and glass viewing windows. Historic records of Scott Cemetery provide a unique opportunity for coffin hardware analysis. With burials ranging from the late 19th century through the 1930s, knowing the interment dates of...
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The Grave Diggers’ Lament: Early 20 th Century Solutions to a Loose Sediment Predicament (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Early 20th century excavators had to contend with loose, sandy sediments when digging the graves at the Scott Family Cemetery in Dallas. More than a century later, archaeologists had to find solutions for the same problem while moving that cemetery. Even with advances in technology and methodology, the pitfalls and solutions were surprisingly similar. The archaeologists found evidence that the original excavators shored the walls with wood, stepped the shafts, and had to dig the holes larger...
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The Incidental Discovery Of An Abandoned Early 20th Century Cemetery (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
After the Civil War, Jack Scott and his family homesteaded in the Trinity River floodplain in West Dallas. He was a farmer who died in 1903 and was buried in a 30 foot square family cemetery that was dedicated at that time. The last interment was in 1931 and the cemetery was abandoned. Years later, four feet of the overlying alluvial sand was removed and a large borrow pit was created. The pit was subsequently filled with construction trash. The unmarked cemetery was included in an urban...
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Small Waists and Tiny Feet: The Influence of Fashion on Deformed Skeletal Remains, Even in a Girl from the Wild West (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Fashion depicts many aspects of a person's life; from socioeconomic status to personal taste. Emmie Baker Scott followed the trends of fashionable dress from childhood to her death in 1885. Her skeletal remains and clothing reveal her family's emphasis on emulating the upper class and the presentation of an ideal Victorian era female figure. Born to a doctor, his occupation would have brought wealth and social standing to the family. Emmie might have been scrutinized with increased pressure...