Data Recovery Efforts at the Fennell Plantation on Redstone Arsenal: A Journey from Enslavement to Black Landownership
Author(s): June F. Weber; Stefanie M. Perez; Jenna P. Tran; Sarah Lowry; Benjamin Hoksbergen; Patricia McMahon
Year: 2025
Summary
This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.
New South Associates (NSA) conducted a Phase III Archaeological Data Recovery of the Fennell Plantation (Site 1MA840) on Redstone Arsenal in Madison County, Alabama. The site occupation spans nearly 100 years (1843-1942) and follows a journey from enslavement to Black landownership in North Alabama. Using geophysical applications and subsequent excavation efforts, NSA successfully identified planter-class main house features, a potential enslaved occupation, and the remains of subsequent tenancy in discrete locations at the site. These features provide valuable insights into the lifeways of both plantation owners and the Black enslaved population that helped to forge the thriving historic African American community of Mullins Flat.
Cite this Record
Data Recovery Efforts at the Fennell Plantation on Redstone Arsenal: A Journey from Enslavement to Black Landownership. June F. Weber, Stefanie M. Perez, Jenna P. Tran, Sarah Lowry, Benjamin Hoksbergen, Patricia McMahon. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans, Louisiana. 2025 ( tDAR id: 508568)
This Resource is Part of the Following Collections
Keywords
General
African American communities
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Plantation Landscapes
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Tenancy
Geographic Keywords
Southeast
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Nicole Haddow