Cogs and Cane: The Evolution of Technology at a 19th Century Louisiana Sugar Mill
Author(s): Matt McGraw
Year: 2015
Summary
The mechanical din of the Industrial Revolution is not typically associated with 19th century Southern US plantation life. However, the advances in science and technology resulting from the Industrial Revolution enabled the Louisiana sugar industry to flourish in spite of climatic restrictions. Chatsworth Plantation (16EBR192) operated in East Baton Rouge Parish from the late 1830’s until the bankrupt plantation was sold at a Sheriff’s auction in 1928. The Chatsworth Plantation sugar mill was excavated by archaeologists from the LSU Rural Life Museum between October 2012 and June 2013. In this paper I will discuss the results of that excavation, the evolution of technology utilized at the Chatsworth sugar mill and the possible effects of the technology on the mill laborers, both enslaved and free.
Cite this Record
Cogs and Cane: The Evolution of Technology at a 19th Century Louisiana Sugar Mill. Matt McGraw. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Seattle, Washington. 2015 ( tDAR id: 434073)
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Keywords
General
industrial
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Plantation
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Sugar
Geographic Keywords
North America
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United States of America
Temporal Keywords
19th and early 20th Century
Spatial Coverage
min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 502