Using Electrolytic Cleaning to Assess Iron Artifacts from Two Light Industrial Enterprises in Findlay, OH.

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

This poster aims to explore the relationship between the material culture associated with industrial and domestic uses at two archaeological sites in Findlay, Ohio. Both sites - 33HK0777, a cigar manufacturer and 33HK0810, a mattress factory and furniture repair shop - began as light industrial ventures in the late 19th century and were converted to residences by the mid-20th century. Three notable iron artifacts were recovered during the survey of these sites, which were elutriated and conserved via electrolytic cleaning (i.e., electrolysis). The electrolysis process was conducted in order to correctly identify the artifacts and to interpret different types of activities that occurred throughout time at these sites. The results of this process revealed that the iron artifacts were most likely associated with the buildings' industrial uses.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2022 SHA Poster Submissions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology