No Fresh Water Except That Furnished by the Rains: Cisterns in Key West, Florida

Summary

Nineteenth-century Key West was one of Florida's largest cities, an important port, an administrative center, and a host to U.S. Naval and Army bases.  Yet the island lacked natural fresh water sources, necessitating the use of cisterns to capture rainwater.  Recent exavation of three examples provided opportunities to examine cistern construction, adequacy, and water consumption.  Water use also had implications with respect to gender and class during the 19th century.  Water chiefly related to household activities within the women’s sphere.  Women put most water to use and were responsible for obtaining and disposing of it.  In places lacking plumbing, this was an onerous chore.  At the same time, within gender ideologies of the time, supplying water supported the image of the nurturing wife and mother.  Water also had class connotations, as bodily cleanliness was a mark of refined presentation.  Making the right personal statement in society thus influenced water consumption.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• See Emily Play: Gender Studies in Historical Archaeology   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 162