Preliminary Results of Material Culture from the Historic First Baptist Church Cemetery, Philadelphia (ca. 1700–1860) and Analytical Problems Arising from Stressed Excavations and the Lack of Formal Legal Oversight

Summary

The material culture found in association with the skeletal remains recovered from the historic First Baptist Church of Philadelphia cemetery, which was in use from 1700-1860, provides a valuable glimpse into colonial and post-colonial burial practices in one of early America’s most important cities. The interior material culture in the form of burial goods is most often minimalistic with few exceptions while the exterior material culture (i.e. coffin hardware) assists in relative dates while highlighting stylistic trends of the day. As one of the largest known collections of 18th and 19th century coffins yet unearthed in historic Philadelphia, the assemblage offers invaluable data on mortuary behavior of some of America’s first citizens and immigrants. However, the difficulty in excavation, due to the lack of site access, time, and legal concerns created problems that are still felt in post-excavation analysis.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20682