'Bring Out Your Dead': Contagion and 19th Century Texas Ports

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Disease has long played a powerful role in the shaping of communities, spurring moments of unity for the common health or bringing devastation, sowing deep distrust amongst families, groups of different religious and ethnic backgrounds, and neighboring communities. Before the rise of air travel, coastal port cities often shouldered the initial brunt of waves of pestilence, suffering for the success of commerce as contagion followed goods by sea. Texas coastal cities were no stranger this cyclical suffering as they grew and prospered throughout the 19th century, enduring death and wide-spread panic at the hands of yellow fever, cholera, and other diseases. This paper examines the role these diseases played in the development of 19th century Texas ports and the impact on residents, commerce, and the relationships between communities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SHA 2022 General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology