"Born a Slave, Died a Pioneer": Nate Harrison and the Historical Archaeology of Legend

Part of: Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

Nate Harrison, San Diego County’s first permanent African-American, is a local legend whose popular biography brims with enticing exaggerations and far-fetched fabrications. Harrison’s actual life story, which included enslavement in the Antebellum South, boom-and-bust cycles in the California Gold Rush, and lawless adventures in the Old West, is a microcosm of the diverse cultural heritages and volatile histories of the 19th-century United States. This session consists of papers from participants in the Nate Harrison Historical Archaeology Project, highlighting insights from ongoing archaeological excavations at Harrison’s original mountain homestead. They examine a variety of topics, include investigations into Harrison’s apotheosis, architecture, cottage industries, landscape use, crafted identities, and continuing legacies. Since the existing documentary records concerning Harrison are rife with contradiction, invention, and revision, these archaeological analyses endeavor to contextualize the mythmaking and identity politics of the last two centuries with scientifically determined spatial, temporal, and formal realities in the ground.

Other Keywords
Nate Harrison • Industry • Museum • Archaeological History • Photography • Soil Chemistry • Legend • Symbols • Slave Quarters • Heritage Management

Temporal Keywords
1830-1920

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 1-6 of 6)

  • Documents (6)
Documents
  • The Apotheosis of Nate Harrison (2018)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Jaime Lennox. Seth Mallios.

    Historical accounts of famed San Diego pioneer Nate Harrison (ca. 1833-1920), a former enslaved African-American from the antebellum South, underwent meaningful transformations during the 20th century.  Secondary narratives of the region’s first African-American homesteader grew into some of the county’s most popular and exotic legends.  Local authors repeatedly altered specific details of Harrison’s emancipation, longevity, living quarters, and other related biographical phenomena, resulting in...

  • Historical Photography and its Impacts on the Life and Legend of Nate Harrison (2018)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Ryan B Anderson. Seth Mallios.

    The numerous photographs of Nate Harrison by visitors to his Palomar Mountain property are an undeniable part of his continuing legacy. There are 32 different images, making Harrison the most photographed 19th-century San Diegan. This was a remarkable feat considering that he lived so far from the urban center of the city. Photography and photographs have long been a cornerstone of substantiating historical existence and constructing knowledge about the past. This paper discusses the social,...

  • The Nate Harrison Historical Archaeology Project: Material, Methodological, and Theoretical Overviews (2018)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Seth Mallios.

    Ongoing research from archaeological and historical investigations into 19th-century San Diego County legend Nate Harrison (ca. 1833-1920) have revealed a wealth of insight into one of the region’s most celebrated pioneers.  This paper offers an overview of the project’s most significant finds, places these ideas in context, and fosters comparisons between Harrison’s legend and the refuse uncovered at his hillside homestead.  Instead of insisting that these lines of evidence be seen...

  • Production and Consumption in the Old West: Examining Cottage Industry and Diet at the Nate Harrison Site (2018)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Kristin N. Tennesen. James Turner. Seth Mallios.

    A life-long laborer, Nate Harrison engaged in many industrious activities during his time on Palomar Mountain in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  Using historical, photographic, and archaeological evidence, this paper aims to analyze and evaluate the different industries in which Harrison participated and the significance of these activities for the local community.  Soil-chemistry studies, faunal analyses, and various archaeologically-uncovered tools present a robust portrait of activity and...

  • A San Diego Slave Quarters: Archaeological and Architectural Analyses of the Late 19th-and Early-20th Century Nate Harrison Cabin (2018)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Matthew Tennyson. Seth Mallios.

    The architectural footprint of the Nate Harrison cabin site is unlike the remains of any other structure found in San Diego County: past or present, rural or urban, ornate or ordinary.  An examination of archaeological, historical, and photographic evidence reveals how anomalous Harrison’s home structure truly was for 19th-century southern California.  While the immediate region has no architectural parallels in terms of the cabin’s size, shape, building material, orientation, and use areas...

  • Sustainable Heritage Management Strategies at the Nate Harrison Site (2018)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Cecelia Holm. Seth Mallios.

    To provide the Nate Harrison Historical Archaeology Project with a sustainable plan for community outreach, even post-excavation, this paper discusses local, related museums and their viability in a time of low attendance and budget-related struggles. It addresses the justification for a museum at the Nate Harrison site on Palomar Mountain when so many similar entities have been devalued. If a museum is created, the design must transcend archaeological finds from a single historical figure and...