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The Archaeology of Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Public Health in Knoxville, Tennessee

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The Archaeology of Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Public Health in Knoxville, Tennessee University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 8-2001 Privies, Pigs, Rubbish, and Quacks: The Archaeology of Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Public Health in Knoxville, Tennessee Tanya Alexandra Faberson University of Tennessee, Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Faberson, Tanya Alexandra, "Privies, Pigs, Rubbish, and Quacks: The Archaeology of Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Public Health in Knoxville, Tennessee. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2001. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/4169 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Tanya Alexandra Faberson entitled "Privies, Pigs, Rubbish, and Quacks: The Archaeology of Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Public Health in Knoxville, Tennessee." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in Anthropology. Charles H. Faulkner, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Faye V. Harrison, Benita J. Howell, Gerald F. Schroedl Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Tanya Alexandra Faberson entitled "Privies, Pigs, Rubbish, and Quacks: The Archaeology of Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Public Health in Knoxville, Tennessee." I have examined the final copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in Anthropology. Dr. Charles H. Faulkner, Major Professor We have read this thesis And recommend its acceptance: aye V. Harrison I L<��-�LDr. BenitaT ell Accepted for the Council: I PRIVIES, PIGS, RUBBISH, AND QUACKS: THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF LATE NINETEENTH AND EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY PUBLIC HEAL TH IN KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE A Thesis Presented for the Master of Arts Degree The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Tanya Alexandra Faberson August 2001 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Writing about the archaeology of late nineteenth and early twentieth century public health was the last thing I expected to do when I started graduate school in the Department of Anthropology at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Somehow, after a number of class projects and research papers, I found myself continually centering my research in early Knoxville public health legislation and the social dynamics surrounding sanitation and healthcare reform. I came to love the old dusty Knoxville City Council minute books, the nineteenth century City Physician reports, and the people and their lives described therein. Like most love relationships, I came to understand the wonderful aspects of this city along with the more sinister aspects. Aspects that continue today, as the City and the State struggle over public health legislation and moral reform agendas. Thanks are first and foremost extended to Dr. Charles H. Faulkner for his encouragement, support, and friendship. I came here with no prior experience in archaeological fieldwork and very little background in method and theory. He gave me the chance to pursue my interests in historical archaeology and develop my research ideas. He has taught me the importance of being an anthropologist within the sub-discipline of historical archaeology. Dr. Faulkner has been a great teacher, both in the classroom and in the field, and his patience and encouragement have been invaluable. I could not have done this without him. On a personal level, Dr. Faulkner has also been a great friend. He has given me ii encouragement and emotional support during darker days, and he has seen me through events in my life that go beyond my role as a student. I cannot express how much that has meant to me. I would also like to thank Dr. Faye V. Harrison, Dr. Benita J. Howell, and Dr. Gerald F. Schroedl for their support and patience during this project. Dr. Harrison and Dr. Howell have encouraged me to pursue my interests in feminist studies, and Dr. Harrison's courses and discussions have challenged me to incorporate contemporary cultural anthropological theories into historical archaeological studies. Dr. Schroedl's Method and Theoryin Archaeology course, along with Dr. Faulkner's Historical Archaeology Lab course, sparked my interest in archaeological research. Both courses revealed the extensive theoretical and methodological dimensions of archaeology.· The decision to pursue a career in historical archaeology occurred during these courses, and it is a decision that I happily do not regret. Special thanks need to be extended to a few others. I would like to thank my best friend and partner, Rhett Graves, for his love and support (and late night editing I) through this project and others. I would also like to thank my parents, Alan and Regina Williams, for encouraging me to follow my dreams, now and always. The courage and tenacity of my sister, Kristina Johnson, have been a continuing source of inspiration. Finally, I need to thank one little person who inspires me everyday with her shining smile and teddy bear hugs. The love and trust of my daughter, Tylar, continually encourages and motivates me to work like hell and never give up. iii ABSTRACT '\ Progressive Era (circa 1890-1920) public health reformers attempted to regulate urban sanitation by supporting reactionary public health policies and laws. Archaeologists and historians have often assumed that legislation has immediate impact on behavior when the intended legislative outcome is beneficial. Even so, in Knoxville, Tennessee, the ethnohistorical and archaeological evidence does not strongly associate implementations of sanitation legislation and changes in behavior. This suggests complex social processes underlying the reform movement and people's reaction to it in the urban sphere. Using sanitation ordinances drawn from Knoxville City Council minutes and sanitarian literature, findings indicate that sanitation reform targeted specific social groups in the urban environment. Data recovered from four Knoxville sites suggest resistance to sanitation and healthcare reforms, but that this resistance also occurred across socioeconomic classes. Understanding resistance and how it relates to the axes of race, class, and gender improves our understanding of Southern culture and the social impacts of early public health reforms, although these factors cannot wholly explain resistance in the urban sphere. Privatism and urban inertiaare importantinteracting factors operating alongside race, class, and gender in explaining the social dynamics of early urban public health reform. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION ............................................ 1 · CHAPTER TWO DEFINITIONS, THEORY, AND BACKGROUND ....................3 Defining Nineteenth Century Urban Sanitation and Public Health .......4 Race, Class, Gender and the Politics of Early Public Health Reform ... 13 CHAPTER THREE THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF RESISTANCE ........................23 Historical Archaeology and Public Health ........................ 24 Power, Domination, and Resistance ............................ 27 Detecting Resistance in the Urban Archaeological Record ...........30 CHAPTER FOUR KNOXVILLE PUBLIC HEALTH ................................ 34 The Knoxville City Council and the Emergence of Public Health Policy in the Nineteenth Century . .. .. .. .. .. .. 34 Knoxville, Tennessee, and the Age of Progressive Era Reform ....... 51 CHAPTER FIVE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS ...............................65 Analytical Methods ..........................................69 Block 3 Center City Redevelopment Project Number 2 (East/West Mall)...................... ·........ 70 River View Towers Site (formerly the C &C Plaza Sit�) ..............78 Proposed Northside Waterfront Redevelopment Project (40KN129) ........................86 The Knoxville Courthouse Block (40KN145) ...................... 95 CHAPTER SIX RESULTS ................................................107 Block 3 Center City Redevelopment Project Number 2 (East/West Mall) .............................109 River View Towers Site (formerly the C &C Plaza Site) .............123 V Proposed NorthsideWaterfront Redevelopment Project ( 40KN 129) .......................132 The Knoxville Courthouse Block (40KN145) ..................... 142 lntersite Comparisons ...................................... 157 CHAPTER SEVEN DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ............................162 Privatism, Urban Inertia, and Resistance ........................162 Implications for Urban Archaeology ............................168 Conclusion ...............................................171 REFERENCES CITED ........................................... 174 VITA ......................................................... 193 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page Table 4-1 Knoxville-wide representative vote .......................
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