Household Palimpsests: Combining Geophysical, Historical, and Oral Records of the Baranabas Pond Farmstead

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Geophysical survey techniques provide important tools to meet the goals of both academic research and public archaeology. In the Historical Households of Central New York Archaeological Project, we used geophysical and remote sensing methods to document the construction sequence and synthesize historical records (including drawings, maps, and written accounts) with the standing structures and oral histories. The house on the Barnabas Pond farmstead was built in 1804, but the deed indicates the property was acquired in 1797. A series of out-buildings were constructed, moved, renovated, and destroyed. The survey of the property employed a combination of methods including magnetometer, magnetic susceptibility meter, and drone photogrammetry surface mapping. These methods allowed us to locate known deposits and revealed previously unknown deposits. The survey combined with the landowners’ research and experience allowed us to place the excavation units to further investigate the dating, associated activities, and function of outbuildings on the site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023   •
• 2023 SHA Poster Submissions

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow