Anthropology
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Item African Americans and Appomattox Manor Within the Structured Landscape of the Eppes Plantation(2000) Brown, Gail W; Shackel, Paul A.; Orr, David; Blades, BrookeThe 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.Item 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.Item The Potomac Gorge Below the Falls: Historic Resources Study of the Fort Marcy, Chain Bridge, Little Falls, Pimmit Run Area(2015-12) Palus, Matthew; Shackel, Paul A.The Center for Heritage Resource Studies (CHRS) at the University of Maryland College Park has completed this historic resources study of the lower portion of the Potomac Gorge on behalf of the George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) under Task Agreement No. P11AT31053 of the Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), focusing on the area between Little Falls and the environs of Pimmit Run, Chain Bridge, and Fort Marcy associated with the Civil War defenses of Washington, DC The study encompasses resources on both sides of the Potomac, from ancient Native American contexts through to the completion of the parkway lanes on the eastern side of the Potomac, designated as Clara Barton Parkway during the 1980s. The resulting synthesis provides a historical database for interpretation of resources along the Potomac River below Little Falls. This study was conceived as a synthesis of available scholarship, and the focus is the area defined by the segment of the Potomac River and adjacent lands that fall between Little Falls and Chain Bridge. Pimmit Run enters the Potomac River just south of Chain Bridge, and Fort Marcy, a remarkable network of earthen fortifications associated with the Civil War Defenses of Washington, lies atop a bluff above Pimmit Run and the Virginia abutment of Chain Bridge. This set of landmarks – a crossroads of sorts – lies at the core of the study area. The partners in this study embrace a wider regional approach, arguing for the relevance of histories associated with the broader landscape of the Potomac to our account of historic resources within this tight little locality. Hence, the sites and features addressed in this historic resources study extend over several miles along both shores of the Potomac, from Sycamore Island and the stream valley associated with Walhonding Brook to the north, to the former location of the Little Italy community in the stream valley for Donaldson Run in Arlington County to the south. The cultural resources present within the study area hold historical significance and retain integrity sufficient to justify nomination to the National Register of Historic Places as a district of associated resources, unified by the cultural landscape of the Potomac Gorge, and the Potomac River crossing at Chain Bridge. This study describes these resources and their historical associations in detail, and provides a series of recommendations towards production of a National Register nomination, as well as further opportunities for public interpretation, and research.Item Thomas Stone National Historic Site: Archeology Overview and Assessment(2007) Moyer, Teresa S.; Shackel, Paul A.; Gwaltney, TomThe 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.Item Archaeological Testing at Bostwick (18PR951), New Driveway Project, Bladensburg, MD(2010-08) Shackel, Paul A.; Roller, Michael; Gadsby, David A.In August of 2008, archaeologists and students at the Center for Heritage Resource Studies (CHRS) at the University of Maryland conducted a program of archaeological field survey at the historic Bostwick House. This survey resulted in the identification of six major activity areas of archaeological significance on the property. At this time it was decided that those six activity areas should receive special attention in any planning activities on the property. Historic Bostwick is located at the base of Lowndes Hill in Bladensburg, Maryland. Christopher Lowndes constructed the house around 1745. Lowndes was an early land developer as well as a merchant, shipbuilder, and slave trader, and he made Bladensburg the headquarters of his operation. The house continued to be occupied through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The property underwent significant changes in the early twentieth century, and nearby urban development has impacted the landscape as well. Currently the property is managed by a partnership between the Town of Bladensburg and the University of Maryland‟s Historic Preservation Program. These partners plan to rehabilitate the standing house structure and to turn the house into a destination for education and other activities. In the spring of 2009, the Town of Bladensburg developed plans to re-route the existing driveway at the Bostwick House, and replace it with a permeable surface accessible to emergency vehicles. Although the proposed Area of Potential Effect (APE) did not directly intersect with one of the six areas identified in the previous survey, it was determined that the potential existed for intact cultural resources to exist in the APE due to its proximity to one of the areas identified. In June of 2009, archaeologists and students from CHRS excavated four STP‟s and two test units within the new driveway‟s APE. Additionally, previously surveyed units were reexamined. The excavations did not reveal the presence of cultural features that might shed light on the nature of the activities conducted in the adjacent area. Excavations resulted in the recovery of artifacts related to all of the eras of Bostwick‟s occupation and confirmed the richness of the archaeological record present on the grounds. In May of 2010, CHRS archaeologists monitored the grading of the APE as part of the process of ensuring the archaeological heritage of Bostwick, Bladensburg and the State of Maryland would not be compromised in the building of this necessary modern alteration of the house‟s landscape. The preservation plan allowed archaeologists from the University of Maryland to mitigate aspects of the construction plan that may have affected sensitive areas identified during the initial survey.Item 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.Item An Archaeological Survey of the Site of the Lattimer Massacre, Lattimer, PA(2010) Roller, Michael; Shackel, Paul A.The Lattimer Massacre occurred in September of 1897 in the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania. It has been described as the bloodiest massacre of the nineteenth century. In this event, a company-sponsored sheriff and a posse of local businessmen shot into a crowd of striking Eastern European mine laborers, resulting in the deaths of at least nineteen. A survey was initiated by the Department of Anthropology of the University of Maryland as part of a broader research program examining labor and immigration heritage of the Anthracite Region of Northeast Pennsylvania. The site was surveyed on three dates in the fall of 2010, November 13 and 14 and December 4, 2010. Members of BRAVO conducted systematic and random metal detecting surveys of three areas. At the conclusion of the survey and subsequent analysis some of the initial goals for the project were satisfactorily completed, while others remain elusive. No cartridges dating to the massacre were found. The location of the initial engagement was identified by a cluster of three bullets from the period of the massacre or earlier. A fourth bullet was identified roughly where the right side of the line of deputies was situated.Item Ethnographic Overview And Assessment Harpers Ferry National Historical Park(2017) Bailey, Megan; Shackel, Paul A.; Chambers, ErveThe purpose of this ethnographic overview and assessment is to identify the traditional ecological, cultural, and historic activities and associations with Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. This study reviews and summarizes existing ethnographic information on park resources traditionally valued by stakeholders, then evaluates these data and identifies areas where additional research is needed. In the course of this project we identify the groups and communities whose collective history and activities are attached to the landscape in and around the park. The study aims to provide data that can inform park planning, management, and interpretation, and help the park relate its mission and resources to the various groups that have a stake in the park. In addition, the ethnographic overview and assessment serves as a starting point for park staff and scholars, as it identifies gaps in ethnographic and historical data and recommends areas for further research. Though the communities, traditions, and associations described in this study may change over time, this report provides a baseline for understanding the diverse peoples and activities that are currently associated with Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Research for this study took place between October 2014 and September 2016. Over the course of our investigation, we consulted a variety of sources including archival written records, oral histories, and published materials. We also conducted nine semi-structured interviews with local residents and held informal conversations with those who had relevant and/or expert knowledge of the Harpers Ferry area, including its history, its residents, its landscape, and traditional activities that take place there. Based on this research, we were able to develop an overview of the historical processes that shaped the landscape and communities in and around the park. This history includes the Native American occupation of the land, contact with European settlers (16th and 17th centuries), the period of intensive settlement and agriculture (18th century), the industrial period (19th century), the post-industrial pre-park period (20th century), and the present era. It is clear from this historical review that Harpers Ferry’s economic, political, and social development was shaped by its agricultural, industrial, and tourism activities, as well as major events such as the introduction of the railroad, the devastation of the Civil War, and the establishment of the National Historical Park. We document the ways in which local communities interact(ed) with the Harpers Ferry landscape both before and after the establishment of the park and identify resources within the park that are significant to the lifeways and traditions of these communities. Three groups are identified as having clear associations with the park and its resources; they include: (1) The African American population of Harpers Ferry and Bolivar; (2) The Italian quarry workers employed by the Standard Lime and Stone Company; and (3) Representatives of the tourism industry. We also identify ten groups or activities that have demonstrable ties to the park, but are less prevalent than the previous three groups. While we present specific examples of sites and resources of significance, such as schools, churches, neighborhoods, rivers, and farmland, there are likely many others that did not come to our attention during this investigation or that required more in-depth research that we did not have adequate time to pursue. Accordingly, we make several recommendations for topics of further study.Item ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS OF SITE 36LU331 HOUSES 34 AND 36 ECKLEY MINERS’ VILLAGE LUZERNE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA(2021-01) Neurock Schriner, Aryn G.; Shackel, Paul A.; Westmont, V. CamilleThis report presents the findings of a research-oriented archaeological survey and excavations conducted at the site 36LU331. The University of Maryland Department of Anthropology field school, under the direction of Dr. Paul A. Shackel, conducted this research during the summer of 2016 in accordance with the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission’s “Letter of Authorization” agreement signed January 29, 2016 (Appendix C). A combination Phase I shovel test survey and surface survey was conducted on the PHMC- owned portion of Back Street in June 2015. This preliminary research indicated that House 34/36, House 38/40, and House 42/44, previously unrecorded archaeological sites, needed to be registered with the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office. These sites are designated as 36LU331, 36LU332, and 36LU333, respectively; however, for the 2016 summer field season, only 36LU331 was selected for further evaluation. As a result of the intact archaeological remains at 36LU331, the site is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It is not currently included within the bounds of the Eckley Historic District, which was listed on the NRHP on October 26, 1971. It is recommended that the National Register boundaries be redrawn to include site 36LU331 and that the site be added as a contributing resource to the nomination under Criterion D, a place that has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.Item ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF SITE 36LU332 HOUSE #38/40 BACK STREET ECKLEY MINERS’ VILLAGE LUZERNE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA(2017-01) Westmont, V. Camille; Shackel, Paul A.; Stein, Rebecca A.; Thomas, ToniThe University of Maryland summer archaeological field methods course was taught at Eckley Miners’ Village, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from May through July 2015. As a result of the field school, three previously unrecorded sites (36LU331, 36LU332, and 36LU333) were identified. The field school proceeded to conduct additional archaeological investigations at 36LU332. The objective of this work was to assess the integrity of the archaeological deposits at the site as well as to answer a series of research themes related to the life of workers and their families at Eckley. The field school investigations included historical research as well as excavation of shovel test pits and 5 x 5 ft test units. In total, the 64 shovel test pits (STPs) and 11 Test Units (TUs) excavated at 36LU332 yielded 6,487 historical artifacts, 195 faunal remains, and 66 modern items. Site 36LU332 was a company-constructed double tenancy house associated with a mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century occupation. According to historic maps, the structure was designated as Houses #38 and 40 on Back Street. Historical research indicated that the house was likely constructed in 1854 when Sharpe, Leisinger, and Company constructed the colliery at Eckley. The early occupation of the house is unknown, although the US federal census indicates that the property was occupied by William Wash and the Chiban family in 1920, the Ondeck and Charnigo families in 1930, and the Ondeck and Jurbella families in 1940. The house was demolished between 1940 and 1959. Based on the intact cultural deposits uncovered the site, 36LU332 is recommended for inclusion in the existing Eckley Miners’ Village National Historic Register. Analysis of the House #38/40 site artifact assemblage by research themes provided a framework for understanding the occupation of the house. The research themes investigated included (1) land and spatial use and organization, (2) consumer behaviors, (3) ethnicity and class differences, and (4) household economies. Analysis of the surviving architectural elements combined with a comparison to nearby houses indicate that House #38/40 was a one-and-a-half story, clapboard covered, balloon frame structure that measured 28 x 20 ft. Because the structure served as two domiciles, each side of the duplex measured approximately 14 x 20 ft A detached summer kitchen was located 12 to 15 ft behind the house structure and measured 12 x 24 ft and was divided in the middle. An exterior brick chimney was added to the rear of House #40 between 1854 and 1920. Each side of the house would have included a front and rear room on the ground floor, a sleeping loft, and an unfinished cellar located beneath the front room. Artifacts from this site represented consumer items ranging from common and inexpensive (redware and Prosser buttons) to fashionable and expensive (shell buttons and gilded porcelain vessels). Overall, the archaeological investigations of site 36LU332 indicate that the lifestyles of the workers living in the two households varied – possibly with the rise and decline of the coal industry. The houses served as home for several families of Eastern European descent as well as boarders. The historical and archaeological research conducted at this site concluded that variance in wealth within the immigrant population manifested within the material record as families used different strategies to cope with their economic and social circumstances through time.