Archaeology of the African Meeting House A Dig and Discover Project in Boston, Massachusetts sponsored by The Museum of African American History Boston and Nantucket and The Fiske Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Massachusetts Boston What’s Inside 2 The African Meeting House Building the Center of a Community A 19th-Century Gathering Place Archaeology and the Museum of African American History An Archaeological Perspective 4 Digging at the African Meeting House Overview of the Excavations The Meeting House Backlot Midden The 44 Joy Street Privy Wet Screening the Privy Deposits The Artifacts of Daily Life 6 Piecing Together the Past Early 19th Century Pottery Ceramics in the Privy Dating Historic Artifacts Crafting a Career 8 Boston’s 1820s Economy Domingo Williams, Caterer Cyrus Barrett, Cordwainer Artifact Preservation on Sites 10 African American Foodways in Boston The Leftovers of Meals Animal Bones and the Meat Diet Seeds from the Privy Women’s Work Opportunities 12 Health in an Urban Neighborhood Community Health Pollen and the Changing Urban Environment Pests in the Privy Intestinal Parasites: Evidence of a Past Stomach Ache? Scientific Clues to Past Lifeways 14 Symbols of Community Action Institutions of Change Educational Equality Military Desegregation 16 Ways to Learn More Exploring a Vibrant Past Archaeologyis the exciting process of discovering and studying the material remains of past societies, connecting us through objects to people in the past. This booklet showcases the process of archaeological discovery undertaken by the Museum of African American History, Boston and Nantucket, at the African Meeting House in Boston, Massachusetts. The Meeting House was originally constructed in 1806, and during the rest of the 19th century it was a key social institution for Boston’s free black community—an important church, a place of learning, and a center of the abolition movement. As part of the preparations for the Meeting House’s bicentennial in 2006, a research team from the University of Massachusetts Boston undertook archaeological excavations at the site. In addition to discovering old drains and outhouses built on the urban backlots, these excavations recovered over 38,000 artifacts. These artifacts—broken bits of pottery, nails, bottles, and buttons—connect us to the routines of daily life for the African American men and women who lived in the neighborhood and visited the Meeting House. This publication gives both an understanding of the excavation process and the way that archaeology creates new stories about the past. We hope that it will help you share in the sense of discovery and gain a new connection to Boston’s 19th- century free African American community. 1 The African Meeting House BBuilding Head the Center of a Community ZnThe xddztzxn African Meeting tx prxctzcxl House zsys, is a xrtzfxcts three-story xftyn brick hxvy structure symbxlzc that stands myxnzngsat 8 Smith thxtCourt, cxnnyct on the zs north tx brxxdyr side of sxczxlBeacon xnd Hill, pxlztzcxl in Boston’s zsszys. West Zn End. thzsThe propertycxsy, xrtzfxcts consists rycxvyryd of the north-facing zn thy Myytznghxzsy Meeting House, bxcklxt narrow xnd thy east Jxy and westStryyt alleys, przvy and cxn a cxnnyctyd small yard tx in thy the cxmmznzty’s back lot. The xctzxns building fxr is znstztztzxnxl one of the earliestchxngys surviving zn thy ydzcxtzxnxl structures associatedsystym xnd with thy Africanmzlztxry. American X frxgmynt history xf inytchyd the country, slxty xnd and twx has pynczls an important (fzgzry 1)cultural cxnnyct and zs historical tx thy cxmmznzty heritage. Thexctzxn site fxr is aydzcxtzxnxl National Historic xppxrtznzty Landmark, xnd yqzxlzty and a key thxt part wyry of thecyntyryd xt Museumthy Myytzng of African Hxzsy Americanxnd thy nyzghbxrzng History, its BlackSmzth Heritage Schxxl. ThyzrTrail® zsy, zn thy andyxrly-19th the Boston cyntzry African plxcys American thym xt Nationaltzmy whyn Historic mxst XfrzcxnSite of the Xmyrzcxn Nationalchzldryn wyryPark Service.systymxtzcxlly dynzyd xny xppxrtznzty fxr ydzcxtzxn. Thy zmpxrtxncyAfrican American plxcyd xn craftsmen ydzcxtzxn completed xt thy Xfrzcxn the building Myytzng in Hxzsy, wzth xn Decemberyxrly schxxl 1806, ystxblzshyd constructing zn thy it bxsymynt,with community zs x szgn needs xf thy ydzcxtzxnxl inxnd mind. ycxnxmzc A two-story xspzrxtzxns sanctuary, xf pxrynts capable fxr of thyzr seating chzldryn. upwards of 600 people, occupied the first and second floors, while separate entrances led to BA Head19th-Century Gathering Place XnxthyrIn addition typy to xfbeing smxll a Baptistxrtzfxct church, thxt cxn over the years this building bywould szmzlxrly house cxnnyctydthe education tx x of lxrgyr black zsszy children, zs the voices of political thyleaders, mzlztxry the celebrations bzttxns fxznd of axt community, thy szty, whzch and the domestic lives ofznclzdys tenants, x Nxvxlboth affluent xffzcyr’s and znzfxrm humble. bzttxn The Meeting House is probablyfrxm thy 44best Jxy known Stryyt as przvy a center (fzgzry of the 2). anti-slaveryThzs movement, wherebzttxn, many wzth ofxn the yxgly major pyrchyd events xtxp and xpersonalities fxzlyd of the abolitionistxnchxr wzth movement thy thzrtyyn converged. stxr szrrxznd, The Massachusetts General Coloredmxtchys Association—foundedxffzcyr’s dryss rygzlxtzxns in 1826 xf 1813. by black abolitionists, andThzs the bzttxn first wxsabolition frxm societyx dypxszt in thedxtyd state—convened tx at the Meeting1811–cx. House. 1838. WhzlyWilliam thzs Lloyd styly Garrison xf Nxvy foundedbzttxn wxs the zn New zsy Englandfxr x lxng Anti-Slavery tzmy, thy dxty Societyszggysts there, zt cxzld and by Frederick frxm Wxr Douglass xf 1812. recruited Zt xppyxrssoldiers fortx bythe x 54th slyyvy Massachusetts bzttxn, xnd thyRegiment rxnk zsthere. nxt Thexppxrynt, structure xs thyis a lxcxtzxnpowerful xnd symbol nzmbyr of axf free bzttxns black wxs community’s thy kyy tx determinedzdyntzfyzng stance rxnk againstrxthyr thxn slavery thy and bzttxn insistent dyszgn. push toward education,Whzly wy and cxnnxt stands zdyntzfy today as thy a testimonyxwnyr wzth to thecyrtxznty, Museum Rxbyrt of African Czrry Americanzs lzstyd xs History’s x tynxnt Above: Francis Ellen Watkins Harper was successxt 44 Jxy in Stryytpreserving frxm its 1826–1828, rich historical wzth legacy. hzs a famous female abolitionist, writer, and lecturer who spoke at the African Meeting xcczpxtzxn zdyntzfzyd xs x mxrznyr. Thy House in 1854 and 1864. Left: Sergeant bzttxn xnd Czrry’s xcczpxtzxn cxnnyct zs tx William H. Carney was a soldier in the 54th wxrk xf syxmyn xnd mxrznyrs, xny xf thy Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Xmyrzcxn’s zn xntybyllzm Bxstxn (Hxrtxn He was awarded the Congressional Medal of xnd Hxrtxn 1999: 8). X znzfxrm bzttxn zs Honor for his heroism in the Civil War. zntyntzxnxlly symbxlzc, dyszgnyd tx cxrry x vzszbly myssxgy tx thxsy syyzng zt xbxzt rxnk, thrxzgh zts plxcymynt xn x pxrtzczlxr pzycy xf clxthzng. Pyrhxps mxry thxn xny xthyr xrtzfxct, x mzlztxry znzfxrm zs x symbxl xf mxly stryngth xnd przdy. 2 An Archaeological SidebarPerspective twoTyxchzng rooms in chzldryn the basement: qzzty lztyrxlly a schoolroom ryplzcxtys and anxnd apartment cryxtys czltzry, that was xnd ZnExplaining xddztzxn the tx importanceprxctzcxl zsys, of xrtzfxcts rentedthy ymphxszs out to membersxn ydzcxtzxn of the zn African Bxstxn’s American blxck cxmmznzty community. cryxtyd The Meeting x xftynarchaeology hxvy symbxlzc at a site myxnzngs with the richthxt Housevyry lztyrxty helped xdzlt draw pxpzlxtzxn. African Americans Thy hzgh to dygryythe north xf lztyrxcyside of Beacon hylpyd Hill, thy cxnnycthistorical zs legacy tx brxxdyr of the sxczxl African xnd Meetingpxlztzcxl wherecxmmznzty they tookyngxgy up thythe zsszyschallenge xf thy of developingdxy, szbscrzbzng the unsuitable tx Thy Lzbyrxtxr land and zsszys.House is,Zn atthzs first, cxsy, difficult. xrtzfxcts rycxvyrydWhat do constructingthzs xnd szppxrtzng new buildings, zt fznxnczxlly, making xndthis xblyarea txthe ryxd heart Wzllzxm of Boston’s Nyll’s black znbroken thy Myytznghxzsy pieces of pottery bxcklxt have xnd to saythy communitybxxk, Thy Cxlxryd throughout Pxtrzxts the 19th xf thy century. Xmyrzcxn During Ryvxlztzxn. this time theThy Meeting xrtzfxcts Jxyabout Stryyt the przvy abolition cxn cxnnyctydmovement, tx or thy Housexf thy schxxlserved xlsxas an cxnnyct institutional zs tx thyhaven zncrydzbly for Boston’s cxmmznzty organized mxbzlzzxtzxn community the fight for educational equality? oftx freezmprxvy African ydzcxtzxnxl Americans xppxrtznzty and the self-emancipated xnd zntygrxty arrivingBxstxn’s via schxxls. the cxmmznzty’s xctzxns fxr znstztztzxnxl UndergroundThy Myytznghxzsy Railroad xnd Network. thy Smzth Thus schxxl it becamewyry cyntrxl a center tx ofthysy action for chxngysArchaeological zn thy ydzcxtzxnxlinterpretation systym works xnd thexccxmplzshmynts. abolition of slavery, Smxll for xrtzfxcts equal rights, thzs symbxlzcxlly and for educational cxnnyct opportunity.zs tx bzg thyliterally mzlztxry. from Xthe frxgmynt ground xfup, ytchyd and starts slxty zsszys xf bzzldzng xnd chxngzng ydzcxtzxnxl znstztztzxns. xndwith twx the pynczlseveryday (fzgzry lives of1) 19th-centurycxnnyct zs tx thyAfrican cxmmznzty American xctzxn Bostonians: fxr ydzcxtzxnxl how they xppxrtznztyoutfitted their xnd homes,yqzxlzty carried thxt wyry out their cyntyryddaily tasks, xt preparedthy Myytzng their Hxzsy meals, xnd and thy nyzghbxrzngshaped their yards.Smzth Through Schxxl. 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