IDENTITY AND IMPROVISATION: ARCHAEOLOGY AT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY OF TIMBUCTOO, NEW JERSEY.

This dissertation focuses on the African American community of Timbuctoo, Westampton, New Jersey. Timbuctoo was founded circa 1825 by formerly enslaved and free born African Americans. The community operated as a "station" along the Underground Railroad. At its peak Timbuctoo had over 125-150 residents and supported a general store, "colored" school, AMEZ church, cemetery and several homesteads. Today the only standing markers of the nineteenth century community are the gravestones in the cemetery. In 2007, Westampton Township acquired roughly four acres of the nearly forty arces that once comprised Timbuctoo. From 2009-2011, Christopher Barton and David Orr conducted archaeological work at the community. The focus of this dissertation was the excavation and analysis of 15,042 artifacts recovered from the Davis Site, Feature 13. The Davis Site was purchased by William Davis 1879. Davis and his wife Rebecca raised their five children in a 12x16ft home constructed on the 20x100ft property. Between the 1920s to the 1940s the foundation of the Davis home was used as a community trash midden. Specifically, this dissertation looks at the practices of yard sweeping, architecture, construction materials, home canning and the consumption of commodified foods. A practice theory of improvisation is posited as a working model to explaining the reflexive practices used by marginalized residents to contest social and economic repression. This theory of improvisation seeks to complicate narratives of poverty through underscoring the dynamic disposition of material culture and everyday life.

Grantor dc:publisher

Temple University. Libraries

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Barton, Christopher Paul

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Stewart, R. Michael (Richard Michael)
• Orr, David Gerald, 1942-

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Garrett, Paul B., 1968-
• Mullins, Paul R., 1962-
• Veit, Richard F., 1968-

• Archaeology
• African American Studies
• American Studies
• African Diaspora Studies
• Historical Archaeology
• Improvisation
• Practice Theory

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• IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Dc Identifier Other

881265369

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/2585