Persistence of Equality Through Daily Life at the Parker Academy: New Insights From Archaeological and Archival Research

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Working on the 19th-Century" session, at the 2019 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The small port town of New Richmond, Ohio has a rich but neglected history ‒ it was once home to a pioneering family and their progressive academy. The Parker Academy, founded in 1839, was inspired by a vision that moved people beyond racial segregation and promoted unity during a time of extreme division. This school is perhaps one of the first integrated and co-educational preparatory academies in the country. In this paper we describe our current archaeological and archival work as part of an ongoing NSF funded project. We draw from information collected in an extensive archive, and a large assemblage of archaeological material culture. We explore how the Parker Academy promoted equality through schoolwork, food, entertainment, and living conditions. By identifying different behaviors in various locations across the site we can recreate a narrative about everyday life in this unusual integrated antebellum context.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2019   •
• Working on the 19th-Century

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 215