Coffin Hardware from the Scott Cemetery: a comparison with the Freedman's Cemetery

Summary

Excavations at Scott Cemetery in Dallas led to the rediscovery of three adult and three sub-adult burials.  While the preservation of coffin wood was poor, intact coffin hardware was recovered.  Artifacts include coffin and casket handles, various nails and thumb screws, and glass viewing windows.  Historic records of Scott Cemetery provide a unique opportunity for coffin hardware analysis.  With burials ranging from the late 19th century through the 1930s, knowing the interment dates of specific individuals allows for a comparison of how coffin designs and stylistic motifs of associated artifacts may have changed throughout this time period.  Additionally, a comparative analysis of hardware from Scott Cemetery and a contemporaneous local cemetery, the Freedman’s Cemetery, provides insights into the purchasing practices of funerary objects between middle class white homesteaders and African American pioneers. This paper will demonstrate the utility of mortuary hardware analysis in assessing temporal trends and reconstructing socioeconomic status.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017   •
• Scott Cemetery: an Abandoned Early 20th Century Cemetery in Dallas

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 421