Saving Sacred Places in Perpetuity: Research Report of Ongoing Archaeological Investigations at Vicksburg National Cemetery, Vicksburg, Mississippi

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Our national cemeteries are some of the most significant cultural properties in the United States and either by design or circumstance often exemplify our complex and at times conflicting multicultural heritage. The National Park Service manages 14 national cemeteries that are integral to the historic character, uniqueness, and solemn nature of both the cemeteries and the historical parks that they are a part of. However, these cemeteries are now facing a multitude of threats due to aging and failing infrastructure, inconsistent or harmful management practices, budgetary constraints, as well as unprecedented destruction caused by extreme weather events. In the winter of 2020, and again in 2021, Vicksburg National Cemetery (VNC) suffered from catastrophic landslides exposing and imperiling multiple United States Colored Troops (USCT) burials, gravestones, roadways, drainage systems, a potential Native American mound, a late 18th century colonial Spanish outpost, and a portion of the battlefield from the 1863 Siege of Vicksburg. This presentation summarizes preliminary results from ongoing archaeological investigations of the VNC, including recent archival research, targeted application of archaeological geophysics, innovative use of historic human remains detection canines (HHRD K9s), combined with bio-archaeological analyses focused on giving personal identifications to previously unidentified USCTs.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37344.0