The social organization of a boardinghouse: Archaeological evidence from the Buffalo waterfront

Peña, Elizabeth S.; Denmon, Jacqueline

doi:10.1007/bf03373632

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…In the USA, it is common to use 'privy' contents to examine patterns of changing food supply, consumer behaviour, waste disposal, and social stratification. Often, these interpretations are related to detailed historical or settlement studies (for example Bush 2000, Carnes-McNaughton and Harper 2000, Crane 2000, McCarthy and Ward 2000, Peña and Denmon 2000, Stottman 2000, Wheeler 2000. To be fair, these US sites often have a shorter period of archaeological deposition than those in the UK, and there is not the perceived need to 'hack out' such features to get down to earlier (and 'more exciting') archaeology.…”

Section: Life Stage 3: Closing and Abandonment Of Sub-rectangular Latrine Pitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Certainly, a number of studies from the USA clearly show that the structure and contents of latrine fills can be used to construct detailed interpretation, which can cover use, consumer histories, and changing patterns of social stratification (e.g. Crane 2000;McCarthy and Ward 2000;Peña and Denmon 2000;Stottman 2000) Social Norms and the Use of Latrines A range of anthropological and sociological evidence suggests that the disposal of faecal material is laden with cultural symbolism and meaning. Sabine (1937) and Douglas (1966) irrefutably established that faecal material, and its disposal, can be central to ideas of taboo and ritual.…”

Section: Life Stage 7: Archaeological Interpretation and The Social Life Of 'Cesspits'mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pondering Privies: Construction, Use, Reuse, and Other Speculations About Cesspits in the Archaeological Record

Smith

2020

J Archaeol Method Theory

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Should cesspits be excavated and recorded in detail? In the UK, cesspits often are considered ‘mundane’ and frequently overlooked during excavation or only half-heartedly recorded. This paper explores the biography of cesspits—their construction, use, reuse, and closure/abandonment, as well as their archaeological investigation and interpretation. What does a cesspit look like? How might we better recognise cesspits archaeologically? By exploring modern NGO guidance and high-quality archaeological studies of cesspits and latrines, we can begin to understand something of the common biography of these features. Comparison between the approach to the excavation/recording of cesspits in the USA with that of the UK also may inform our collective approach to these features at any archaeological site. Perhaps our own assumptions and approaches to the archaeological interpretation of these features may be hindering our understanding of their significance as important records of status and societal behaviour? This paper will conclude by exploring the interpretation of cesspits from two different chronological periods in the UK, outlining entirely different approaches to quite similar data.

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Section: Life Stage 3: Closing and Abandonment Of Sub-rectangular Latrine Pitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Life Stage 7: Archaeological Interpretation and The Social Life Of 'Cesspits'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pondering Privies: Construction, Use, Reuse, and Other Speculations About Cesspits in the Archaeological Record

Smith

2020

J Archaeol Method Theory

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“…By comparison, in a small assemblage of 13 pipes at a Five Points site, Reckner found three pipes (23%) with Irish designs and he suggests that this might indicate that some Irish residents felt comfortable with asserting their Irish heritage (Reckner 2001: 11). Irish designs on smoking pipes have also been found in small numbers at 19th-century working-class archaeological sites in Paterson, New Jersey (Reckner 2004) and in Buffalo, New York (Peña and Denmon 2000). Among the male residents at Sailors' Snug Harbor, the archaeological assemblage associated with the sailors' dormitories contained 65 clay smoking pipe bowls and 77 pipe stems, but only 3% of the assemblage (two pipe bowls) had Irish designs (Cotz 1984).…”

Section: Smokingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Archaeology of the Matron’s Cottage: a Household of Female Employees at Sailors’ Snug Harbor, Staten Island, New York

Baugher

2008

NEHA

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“…Stratigraphy can often be connected to tenancy periods or specific families, where recovered faunal remains then reflect day-to-day consumer habits and socioeconomic status (Ciolek-Torrello et al 1997;Crane 2000;Crist 2005;Huelsbeck 1991:21;Pena and Denmon 2000). Different socioeconomic class purchasing values can be visible in faunal assemblages (Schulz and Gust 1983).…”

Section: Privies As a Data Sourcementioning

confidence: 99%

Using Archival and Archaeofaunal Records to Examine Victorian-era Fish Use in the Pacific Northwest

Taber¹

2000

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Studies of historic fish archaeofaunas can contribute to our understanding of Victorian-era consumer choice and agency. However, most zooarchaeological work focuses on interpreting large mammal remains such as cow (Bos taurus). That fish are overlooked is particularly striking in the Pacific Northwest, where fishing was a major facet of both the bourgeoning industrial economy and local household practices. My thesis addresses this gap through study of archival records (mainly newspapers) and zooarchaeological fish records from a neighborhood in Vancouver, Washington, U.S.A., focusing on the period between 1880 and 1910. My particular goals were to examine how fishes were acquired and their economic role in a market economy. I conducted archival research through systematic and qualitative reviews of TheOregonian and other newspapers in Oregon and Washington. I recorded 105 different named fishes, which I linked to 46 Linnaean taxa; 76 fishes were listed with price information in advertisements. I connected these fishes to market acquisition, and the remaining fishes to personal catch. I ranked the sixteen most prominent fishes by their price. Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) was the most expensive, and Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) was the least expensive. Five ranked fishes were introduced; all of these were in the top 50% of the ranking. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) was advertised the most frequently, but was in the lower 50% of the ranking. Some fishes (e.g., common carp [Cyprinus carpio]) were heavily promoted by federal entities and private entrepreneurs, but viewed negatively by consumers.ii The zooarchaeological portion of my study focused on privies from the Esther Short neighborhood (Vancouver, WA), which, between 1880 and 1910, was a predominantly middle-and working-class community, occupied by people of European ancestry. The fish fauna (total NISP: 1,282) had previously been documented by Krey Easton. I reanalyzed ~30% of the fish remains to verify identifications; our results were highly correlated. Ten fish families representing 16 taxa were recorded in the assemblage. Both introduced fishes (n = 6 taxa) and native fishes (n = 10 taxa) were present. Catfish (Ictaluridae) dominated the assemblage (76%). Salmonids represented 15%. I recorded five new taxa from specimens previously noted as "unidentified".

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The social organization of a boardinghouse: Archaeological evidence from the Buffalo waterfront

Cited by 11 publications

References 7 publications

Pondering Privies: Construction, Use, Reuse, and Other Speculations About Cesspits in the Archaeological Record

Pondering Privies: Construction, Use, Reuse, and Other Speculations About Cesspits in the Archaeological Record

The Archaeology of the Matron’s Cottage: a Household of Female Employees at Sailors’ Snug Harbor, Staten Island, New York

Using Archival and Archaeofaunal Records to Examine Victorian-era Fish Use in the Pacific Northwest

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