Sewagescapes: Urban Growth and Topography of Sewage Districts in Central Illinois

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Landscapes Above and Below in Northern Contexts (General Sessions)" , at the 2021 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Sewage districts are important municipalities that facilitate urban growth within cities and heavily impact communities. Research regarding the sewage districts is scarce in the modern contexts, and focuses on the biological and chemical processes involved in sanitizing wastewater. This study focuses on districts in Central Illinois and uses the technique of landscape archaeology combined with archival analysis to analyze the economic factors in various parts of the cities and the topography of the districts. The findings of this paper showed that residents with low economic status were pushed toward industrial areas within the cities, where the sewage districts were also placed. Additionally, the districts used the landscape to elevate themselves from the “dirt” of sewage to positively impact public opinion. This study is a beginning to open academic discussion about sewage districts and their importance in shaping cities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Landscapes Above and Below in Northern Contexts (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2021

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology