Patriots, Federalists and Masons, Politically Oriented Artifacts from the Federal Period Occupation of the Anthony Farmstead in Southeastern Massachusetts.

Summary

This is a paper/report submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Recent excavations of the mid-eighteenth to mid-nineteenth century Anthony Farmstead in Somerset, southeastern Massachusetts, yielded over twenty nine thousand period artifacts. A handful of these artifacts uniquely reflect the patriotism and political affiliations of the Anthony family and the region as a whole. Several members of the Anthony family were of military age during the American Revolution, and records indicate they had participated in the war for independence, primarily at sea. Brothers Stephan and Samuel later became ships captains. In the decades following the war, and on through the Federal Period, patriotic sentiments and a participation in the popular Masonic Order in the first quarter of the nineteenth century are present at the Anthony home. An analysis of the politically associated artifacts attempts to contribute to the understanding of the founding generation of Americans during this formative period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2020 SHA General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 385