University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 11-12-2008 Historical Archaeology Research Designs for Gamble Plantation, Ellenton, Florida Felicia Bianca Silpa University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons Scholar Commons Citation Silpa, Felicia Bianca, "Historical Archaeology Research Designs for Gamble Plantation, Ellenton, Florida" (2008). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/497 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Historical Archaeology Research Designs for Gamble Plantation, Ellenton, Florida by Felicia Bianca Silpa A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Anthropology College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Brent Weisman, Ph.D. Kevin Yelvington, Ph.D. Philip Levy, Ph.D. Date of Approval November 12, 2008 Keywords: slavery, Judah P. Benjamin, Robert Gamble, applied anthropology, historic preservation, anthropology of museums, Manatee River settlement © Copyright 2008, Felicia Bianca Silpa Dedication This thesis is dedicated to all the men in my life: Daniel, Scott, Geoffrey, Marc, and Alex. Acknowledgments I acknowledge and thank my thesis committee. Dr. Brent Weisman, Dr. Kevin Yelvington, and Dr. Philip Levy made this thesis possible. In addition to the guidance, they also provided me with diverse and challenging models of anthropological studies. I thank Dr. Uzi Baram. As my undergraduate advisor, he gave me the foundation to build upon. As my friend and colleague, he was always willing to listen and discuss issues regarding anthropology as a whole and Gamble Plantation specifically. I thank Dr. Amy Reid, who listened endlessly to my brain swimming and whose advice enabled me to communicate what I wanted to achieve. I acknowledge and thank Dr. Elzie McCord, Jr. who supplied his knowledge of Florida botany and southern African American perspectives. Our many discussions allowed me to see things other than through my limited experiences. I acknowledge and thank the staff members of the Judah P. Benjamin Memorial at the Gamble Plantation Historic State Park. Former Park Supervisor, Don Bergeron, and Park Rangers Wayne Godwin, Ted Unger, and Don Dutcher were willing to share their knowledge and time with me. I thank Daniel Hughes for his untiring help. He was always there to offer advice and discussions during all stages of this thesis. His willingness to share his experiences and books was invaluable. I acknowledge Dr. Deborah Varos, Dr. Justus Doenecke, Dr. George Luer, Barbara Bardy, Dixie Schmidt, Kelly Scudder, Sherry Svekis, John Jaffer, other friends and family members who provided resources, encouragement, and were willing to read this evolving thesis. I acknowledge and thank Pearlene McCord and her family and friends who accepted me as family. They were willing to share intimate life experiences and it is from their experiences that I learned some of the differences between assimilation and accommodation. I thank members of the Anthropology Department of the University of South Florida. Last, but certainly never least, I must tell the world how much I appreciate my husband and sons for their patience and encouragement. They were there for me on days when I felt overwhelmed by the process. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction.......................................................................................................1 Aims and Purpose of this Study ..............................................................................1 About This Thesis....................................................................................................6 Chapter 2: A History of the Gamble Plantation...................................................................9 Virginian Roots........................................................................................................9 Planter Migration to Middle Florida......................................................................12 The Armed Occupation Act of 1842......................................................................19 Slavery at the Gamble Plantation...........................................................................30 Conclusion .............................................................................................................32 Chapter 3: The Gamble Plantation in the Local Environment...........................................33 Florida’s Environment ...........................................................................................34 Soil .........................................................................................................................35 The Manatee River.................................................................................................37 Confronting the Environment ................................................................................39 Land Use Over the Years.......................................................................................42 Plantation Plants.....................................................................................................44 Conclusion .............................................................................................................47 Chapter 4: An Inventory of the Plantation Today.............................................................49 Geographic Location of the Plantation ..................................................................49 The Mansion ..........................................................................................................50 The Cistern.............................................................................................................53 The Four Compartment Unknown Tabby Feature.................................................54 The Patten House ...................................................................................................55 The Sugar Mill .......................................................................................................56 Previous Archaeological Research ........................................................................61 Conclusion .............................................................................................................61 Chapter 5: Landscapes of Power: History and Culture in Plantation Archaeology..........66 Landscapes of Power: Plantation Spatial Organization.........................................70 Slave Housing Locations .......................................................................................76 Slave Housing........................................................................................................79 Labor......................................................................................................................87 Foodways ...............................................................................................................94 i Worldview and Religion........................................................................................99 Resistance ............................................................................................................102 Proposed Archaeological Methods ......................................................................105 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................112 Chapter 6: Presentation of the Past .................................................................................114 Presenting the Past at the Gamble Plantation ......................................................114 My Approach .......................................................................................................118 Critical Analysis...................................................................................................124 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................127 Chapter 7: Conclusion: Archaeology for Whom? ..........................................................129 Stakeholders.........................................................................................................130 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................132 References........................................................................................................................134 Appendices.......................................................................................................................147 Appendix A: Plant Study of Gamble Plantation.................................................148 Appendix B: Plant Study of Gamble Plantation Sugar Mill...............................153 Appendix C: “Florida as A Sugar State” (Gamble 1888)...................................160 ii List of Tables Table 1 Map Unit Legend for Manatee County, Florida (FL081) (Courtesy of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 2008:9).......................................................................................35 Table 2 Plantation Artifact Patterns from Georgia and South