Anthropology

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Author: search.filters.author.Westmont, V. CamilleSubject: search.filters.subject.Archaeology

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    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. Camille
    This 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.
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    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, Toni
    The 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.
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    ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF SITE 36LU321, YANAC HOUSE, PARDEESVILLE LUZERNE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
    (2021-01) Shackel, Paul A.; Jones, Sean M.; Westmont, V. Camille
    The University of Maryland Anthracite Heritage Program summer archaeological field methods course was taught at Pardeesville, Hazle Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania (previously Lattimer Village No.2) from May through July 2014. As a result of the field school, two previously undocumented sites were investigated: 36LU321 (Yanac House) and 36LU323 (Lower Street Double). The following report outlines the Phase I and II archaeological investigations at the Yanac House Site. The objective of this work was to assess the integrity of archaeological deposits at the sites to aid in research themes related to the lives of immigrant and second-generation laborers and their families at the Yanac House Site, and Northeast Pennsylvania as a whole. These research themes include household demographics, health care, land usage, and transgenerational trauma. The field school investigations included historical research and excavation of shovel test pits and test units varying in size (5 ft x 5 ft, 4 ft x 5 ft, 2.5 ft x 5 ft, and 7.5 ft x 7.5 ft). In total 4 shovel test pits (STPs) and 9 test units were excavated at 36LU321. The site yielded 7,766 artifacts, 417 of which were ceramic sherds, 1,906 of which were glass, and 1282 of which were modern materials. Over 110 complete glass bottles were recovered from the excavation, many of which were related to medicinal care for diabetes, eczema, and congestion/coughing. Site 36LU321 (Yanac House) consisted of a company-constructed double tenancy house. The house was constructed by the Pardee Brothers and Company in Lattimer Village No. 2. The household was rented until the company’s bankruptcy in 1940, and subsequently purchased by the occupying tenants, the Berish family. The Yanac House (eastern portion of household lot #57) has been occupied from the coal village tenancy of the 19th century to the present day. In 2000 the Yanac family would purchase the property from the Berish descendants. Analysis of the Yanac house artifact assemblage is guided by research themes to provide a framework of understanding the occupation and lifestyle of the household residents. The research themes include: (1) land and spatial usage, (2) household demographics, (3) medicinal usage/availability, and (4) transgenerational trauma. The Yanac House structure has survived over 150 years, however it has been modified over this time-period. Large scale modifications occurred during the Berish occupation in the mid-20th century and the house has since been modernized. The large quantity of complete medicinal bottles recovered from the site provide significant research potential regarding the effects of structural violence on an immigrant labor force, and how this trauma affects future generations. Material culture related to diabetes and asthma provide data related to transgenerational trauma in the anthracite coal region.