Beyond Publications, Exhibits, and Presentations: Twenty-first-century historical archaeology and the next generation of community engagement at the Nathan Harrison Site in San Diego County, California

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The Nathan Harrison Historical Archaeology Project, a 20-year undertaking that sought to understand and communicate the life and legacies of San Diego County’s first African American homesteader, employs orthogonal thought and archaeological, anthropological, and historical tools of analysis to bring marginalized voices to diverse publics. The remote mountain-top site was home during the late 19th and early 20th-centuries to Nathan Harrison, who was born into slavery, endured horrors of the Antebellum South, the mania of the Gold Rush, and racial injustices of the Old West. Harrison gained mythical status during his life and after his passing; while alive, he was embraced by multiple communities, and his story has since been used by different groups over time for a variety of causes. This paper examines how our archaeology has inspired a new generation of muralists, historians, playwrights, and others to create innovative works and continued relevance for Nathan Harrison’s evolving narratives.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow