Cows, Clorox, and Canning: Early Twentieth Century Consumption and Consumerism in Rural Alabama

Summary

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

The McFall Site (1LU528) in Northwest Alabama provides a case study for the archaeology of rural consumption and consumerism during the first half of the twentieth century. The site and the surrounding land have been maintained as a farmstead by the Holland (1870-1945) and the McFall (1945-present) families, who faced numerous challenges stemming from dramatic global, national, and local events. Material evidence, historical research, and oral histories gathered through a Cultural Resources Management (CRM) mitigation were used to better understand how these families participated in an expanding consumer culture. Available evidence suggests the two families used a variety of strategies, such as flexible agribusiness practices and government programs, to obtain necessities and luxuries as they experienced economic depressions and world wars.

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): 40183.0