Sherene Baugher

Visible Charity: The Archaeology, Material Culture, and Landscape Design of New York City's Municipal Almshouse Complex, 1736-1797

How did New York Citys eighteenth century almshouse (1736–1797) handle homelessness and poverty? Historians have been debating whether the conditions were familial and supportive, or mean-spirited and intolerable. An analysis of the archaeology, artifacts, architecture, landscape design, primary sources, and secondary sources associated with the New York City almshouse complex suggest some answers.

Introduction and historical context for the archaeology of institutions of reform. part 1: asylums.

This introduction discusses the western cultural context that connects the following three articles of site-specific research on the Adelaide Destitute Asylum in South Australia, the Ross Female Factory (prison) in Tasmania and the Magdalen Asylum in Philadelphia. These institutions are a few of the many types of nineteenth century asylums and prisons. Although some research issues are raised the purpose of this introduction is to provide a general historical context for the different research designs which are presented in the articles. While this introduction provides a largely ungendered historical background from ungendered sources, the companion feminist commentary following the articles addresses the gendered historical context and the feminist issues in the articles.

The John Street Methodist Church: An Archaeological Excavation with Native American Cooperation

During construction work at the historic John Street Methodist Church in Lower Manhattan in New York city, workers found human bones near the foundation wall of the church. The minister and church leaders voluntarily halted the project so that archaeological work could be undertaken. Since the property had the potential to contain Native American or European American burials, the City Archaeology Program and the American Indian Community House undertook a joint excavation of the site. This was the first time in New York City that Native Americans worked on an archaeological excavation. No other human remains were found, but many artifacts from the mid-19th century were uncovered. The artifacts provide glimpses into the social behavior of the congregation.

John Zuricher, Stone Cutter, and His Imprint on the Religious Landscape of Colonial New York

John Zuricher was colonial New York City’s most prolific gravestone carver. Compared to the rather thin documentary trail that John Zuricher left, his material record is incredibly rich, comprising several hundred gravestones produced during a career that spanned four decades. Zuricher appears to have been active in both the Dutch and German communities but he also had many clients among the English elite in Manhattan. Zuricher’s stones also provide information about colonial trade networks. Working in New York City Zuricher found it easy to link into both regional trade networks and also into an East Coast trade network with Zuricher producing stones for clients as far south as Charleston, South Carolina. The Zuricher gravestones survive as artifacts to tell a story not only about Zuricher the man and his career but more importantly about life in colonial New York.

The Inlet Valley Project: Reflections on an Early Model for Interdisciplinary and Cross-Cultural Service-Learning Courses in Landscape Architecture

The Inlet Valley Project started in 1993 as a service-learning partnership course with a Native American community, local farmers, property owners, developers, and town officials. The course was interdisciplinary and cross-cultural. The format and goals of the project evolved to include a focus on cultural history as it informs park planning and design decisions. The partnership continued through numerous service-learning courses and ended 14 years later with the opening of a new town park. The Inlet Valley Project demonstrates how service-learning courses benefit diverse partners and provide tangible benefits to maintaining and strengthening community partnerships.

Sailors’ Snug Harbor: A Landscape of Gender and Power

Sailors’ Snug Harbor was a nineteenth century private charitable institution on the northern shore of Staten Island in what is now one of the boroughs of New York City (Fig. 8.1). It was the first home built specifically for retired seamen in the United States (Hardin 1983). This chapter focuses on the complex power dynamics reflected in this institution’s gendered landscape. Gendered landscapes can be found in diverse archaeological locations including residential sites, work places, military sites, religious sites, and institutional settings such as reformatories, prisons, and almshouses. Sailors’ Snug Harbor evolved within the context of almshouses in the colonial and early national periods, but unlike most almshouses that served both men and women, Sailors’ Snug Harbor was established exclusively for males. But because Sailors’ Snug Harbor employed women as well as men, its history reflects a gendered landscape within which issues of power and class were played out.

Archaeological Perspectives On and Contributions To the Study of Colonial American Gardens

Archaeological excavations of colonial sites reveal both the diversity and uniformity characterizing colonial garden design. Although the American colonies stood on the periphery of Europe’s empires, colonists turned to British and continental designs in town planning, architecture, interior furnishings, and gardens. In adapting these designs, they sought to make statements about their political, economic, and social status, and their cultural identity as colonials. This article provides an overview of the insights revealed by archaeological excavations of specific sites. The article discusses both the material data and the historical interpretations offered by archaeologists working on the gardens of North American colonists in towns and cities, on farms and plantations in the North and South, at military fortifications, and in other institutional contexts.

Reflections on the New York City Archaeology Program (1980–2016)

New York City has municipal laws requiring archaeological assessments on projects that involve discretionary permits. In 1980, a City Archaeology Program housed within the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission was established. The City Archaeologist evaluates the work of CRM firms, and many high-profile CRM excavations have taken place. From 1980–1990, the City Archaeologist with her grant-funded staff and volunteer corps also undertook archaeological excavations on Native American and European American sites on city-owned properties. As the economic climate changed, early innovative programs for public outreach involving tours, exhibits, and public participation on excavations on city-owned property were eliminated. Developers challenged the permitting process. However, municipal laws regarding archaeology are still intact and CRM archaeologists continue to excavate endangered sites on developers’ properties.

Introduction: Thinking Globally and Acting Locally—Exploring the Relationships Between Community, Archaeological Heritage, and Local Government

From ancient times to the present, cities have been dynamic places that bring together people of diverse occupations and classes, and they are constantly transforming as economic, political, and social conditions change.

Confirming Relevance: How American and Canadian Archaeologists Are Training Youth and Adults in Archaeology, Heritage Studies, and Community Partnerships

Over the last 25 years there has been a growing momentum for incorporating community outreach into archaeology and heritage studies in Canada and the USA. Innovative programs brought archaeological research to the public through: tours of sites, museum exhibits, traveling exhibits, public lectures, newspaper, magazine articles, and even archaeology programs for television (Jameson 1997; Herscher and McManamon 2000). Initially, these programs were based on what the archaeologist wanted to present to the public not the topics of interest to the public or professionals in allied fields (Jameson and Baugher 2007a: 4). Fortunately, archaeologists are now partnering with nonarchaeologists in order to develop more meaningful public programming in heritage studies (for example, Derry and Malloy 2003; Merriman 2004; Jameson and Baugher 2007b). This interdisciplinary outreach enables archaeologists to work cooperatively with historic preservationists, museum curators, and educators. This cooperative work enhanced both the quality of the public programs and the underlining interdisciplinary research. Even the term “public archaeology,” which used to be synonymous with Cultural Resource Management (CRM), now implies outreach work with and for the public.