A Community-Engaging Data Recovery of the Fennell Plantation: A Journey from Enslavement to Black Landownership in North Alabama

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

New South Associates (NSA) conducted a Phase III Archaeological Data Recovery of the Fennell Plantation (Site 1MA840) on Redstone Arsenal (RSA) in Madison County, Alabama. The site occupation spans nearly 100 years (1843-1942) and records the transition from enslavement to Black landownership in North Alabama. Data recovery efforts involved a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey, unit and shovel test excavation, mechanical stripping, archival research, an archaeological literature review, artifact analysis, and specialized analyses of subsistence remains. These efforts provided valuable data sets for exploring the lifeways of both plantation owners and the Black enslaved population that helped to forge the thriving historic African-American community of Mullins Flat. Throughout the data recovery process, NSA partnered with RSA Cultural Resource Manager Ben Hoksbergen to deliver a community-engaging approach that included an open house for media outlets, public talks for local archaeological societies, a social media presence, and volunteer opportunities for the public to participate in feature excavations. This approach facilitated positive outcomes, including engagement with descendent community members and public involvement in the recovery and interpretation of archaeological data.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40023.0