Forging Ahead: A Preliminary Analysis of the Buffalo Forge Iron Complex in Southwestern Virginia

Summary

Although the term "plantation" is typically associated with agricultural enterprises, the Buffalo Forge industrial plantation in southwest Virginia evades simple classification. The antebellum iron forge complex anchored a diverse array of people and places, employing varying ratios of freed, enslaved, white, black, and male and female workers in its industrial, agricultural, and domestic operations. While extensive documentary analysis on Buffalo Forge's masters and slaves has been conducted by historian Charles Dew, there is still much to be learned. This paper synthesizes recent and established research, using the available historical, documentary, architectural, and archaeological evidence to construct a foundation for expanded analyses. Also, as part of a broader project aiming to explore gender and community, this preliminary work will give direction to future anthropological and archaeological investigations around the industrial plantation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions) 2017   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 479