Anthropology

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Author: search.filters.author.Shackel, Paul A.End date: 2009

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    African Americans and Appomattox Manor Within the Structured Landscape of the Eppes Plantation
    (2000) Brown, Gail W; Shackel, Paul A.; Orr, David; Blades, Brooke
    The Civil War brought about many changes in Virginian society, including the area around City Point, Virginia. These changes greatly effected the manner in which plantation owners managed their farms. Plantation owners had to find new ways of obtaining and exploiting their labor, and protecting their resources. The goal of this report is to explore those changes between the years 1851 and 1872 on the Eppes' plantations. I examine how Dr. Eppes structured his landscape to aid in controlling his productive resources, and the relationship he held with African-Americans. Part of exploring that relationship will be examining the living conditions of African-Americans on the Eppes' plantations as slaves and freedmen laborers. Dr. Eppes' home, Appomattox Manor, and its grounds now make up the City Point Unit of the Petersburg National Battlefield. This report will place the City Point Unit into its larger historic context. Though the unit is best known as the location of General Grant's headquarters during the Siege of Petersburg, its history is far more extensive. In this report, I place City Point and Appomattox Manor in the plantation context which surrounded them before and after the war. It will show how the Civil War was not an isolated event, but was effected by and affected the social world around it.
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    An Archaeological Overview and Assessment of the Main Unit Petersburg National Battlefield, Virginia
    (2001) Orr, David G.; Shackel, Paul A.
    The overview and assessment will examine historical evidence, the extensive archaeological database from the immediate vicinity, and regional cultural context to evaluate the archaeological potential within the Main Unit. It will be argued that an an important element of the archaeological/historical/cultural record is the surviving landscape. The anthropological perspective promoted herein argues that "landscape" is reflected in natural and cultural remnants that may be exposed and recorded by researchers was shaped by activities such as agricultural practices that formed the the economic basis of existence but left no obvious physical remains, and is interpreted by conceptions of the past that are often conditioned by concerns in the present. This overview and assessment will, as a consequence, seek a broader cultural context for the prehistoric and particularly the historic occupations in the Petersburg vicinity.
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    Thomas Stone National Historic Site: Archeology Overview and Assessment
    (2007) Moyer, Teresa S.; Shackel, Paul A.; Gwaltney, Tom
    The National Perk Service uses Archeological Overview and Assessment (AOA) reports as management tools for existing and potential archaeological resources at the sites in its care. This report addresses Thomas Stones National Historic Site, located near Port Tobacco in Charles County, Maryland and part of the NPS Northeast Region. The report provides an overview of topics relevant to the future concerns of managing the archeological resources at the park. The archaeological sites and collections at Thomas Stone NHS offer an important opportunity to explore unknown elements of the site's history and integrate previous and future findings into interpretive panels in the main house. Archaeological artifacts representative of the history of the house are on display. Great potential exists to make Thomas Stone NHS a model for the uses of American Indian and post-contact archaeology, particularly because the park staff is enthusiastic about it.
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    2009 Phase II Archaeological Investigations in the Riversdale (18PR390) Garden, Prince George’s County, MD
    (2009) Gadsby, David A.; Shackel, Paul A.
    In the fall of 2009, archaeologists and students from the University of Maryland’s Center for Heritage Resource Studies, in conjunction with the Archaeology Program, Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission, conducted phase II archaeological testing of a portion of the garden at the Federal-period Riversdale Mansion (18PR390). The goal of the excavation was to evaluate the impact of ongoing erosion on archaeological resources in the project area. Excavators dug a total of 4 units measuring five-foot square and another half-unit measuring 2.5-feet by five-feet. They recovered 4280 objects ranging in date from the early 19th century through the twentieth century. They also unearthed the remains of a large garden wall erected around 1805 as well as the foundation of a brick structure built before 1830. This report details the project activities, and recommends that M-NCCP continue to monitor the effects of erosion on these resources. It also suggests future research questions, should additional excavations prove necessary.