Memories of Women's Work: Investigating the 19th Century U.S. Army Laundresses' Quarters at Fort Davis, Texas

Summary

The 19th century U.S. army encampment at Fort Davis is commonly remembered for its association with the enlisted men and officers who served the U.S. government. However, the fort also employed and rationed a group of Hispanic and black female laundresses, who too often are made invisible in modern interpretations of the site. Using an assemblage of domestic materials collected during the summers of 2013 and 2015, this paper aims to highlight the work – including physical labor, cultural brokering, and domestic family maintenance– that these women contributed to the fort community. Moreover, by focusing on how these women have (not) been represented in the archival and historic record, this paper will ask how, why, and for whom does archaeological investigation help restore memories of the past.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• "Unless We Remember We Cannot Understand": Archaeological Inquiries into the Act of Remembering

Keywords

Spatial Coverage