Community Engaged Bioarchaeology at a Historic Poor Farm in Brentwood, New Hampshire (1841-1868)

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Through bioarchaeological analyses, archival research, and community engagement, we explore the lives and deaths of individuals interred at the Brentwood Poor Farm in Brentwood, NH (1841-1868). The site of the town Poor Farm and the accompanying unmarked burial ground are under private ownership. The space has been documented by the State and will be protected in perpetuity so that no other burials are disturbed; reburial of the disturbed remains is imminent. Our skeletal analysis is contextualized within the history of the American poor farm system and compared to similar skeletal samples across the country. This work demonstrates that analyses of small, fragmentary, and commingled samples can provide nuanced accounts of marginalization and institutionalization. Aside from gaining more insight into the lives of historic, rural, and disenfranchised New Englanders, this project also demonstrates the power of collaborative work with engaged stakeholders (e.g., local town historians, cemetery superintendents, landowners, and students).

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025   •
• 2025 SHA Poster Submissions

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow