Resurrecting Old Pattonia: Uncovering the Lifeways of a Nineteenth Century Shipping Port Community

Summary

An East Texas steamboat landing community, known as Pattonia, operated from 1843 to the late 19th century. This paper interprets the architectural features that once stood at Pattonia and their spatial organization. Additionally, I conduct a ceramic analysis of two household assemblages with unknown occupants in order to determine their relative socioeconomic status and reconstruct the social landscape of Pattonia. This research is based on data collected during two field seasons of excavation, archival resources, and oral history. I aim to illustrate the adoption of broad 19th century American consumerism by the inhabitants of the community, as expressed by their built environment and material culture. The Pattonia landscape was a place of struggle and perseverance, which was ultimately abandoned as it failed to endure beyond its capitalistic foundations.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Digging Domestic Spaces: An Exploration of Homesteads, Habitations and Farms   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-71,08