Multi-method analysis of a historic wooden trough from Kentucky, USA: a case study in corroborating artifact oral histories with heritage science
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Published:2023-11-07
Issue:1
Volume:11
Page:
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ISSN:2050-7445
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Container-title:Heritage Science
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Herit Sci
Author:
Napora Katharine G.,Crothers George M.,Hadden Carla S.,Guerre Lisa,Waldman Laura J.,Reyes-Centeno Hugo,Keppeler James,Imler Madeline,Jakaitis Edward,Metz Alexander,Mink Philip B.
Abstract
AbstractOral history indicates that a large wooden trough held in storage at the University of Kentucky’s William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology was a component of the saltpeter mining operation in Mammoth Cave in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, worked largely by enslaved persons. We used multiple heritage science methods, including radiocarbon wiggle-match dating, tree-ring dating, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), and optical scanning, combined with historical research, to examine the trough. Our analysis supports the oral history of the trough as an artifact of the mining system in Mammoth Cave. This case study illustrates how heritage science methods can provide corroboration for the origins and biographies of poorly documented historical artifacts.
Funder
University of Kentucky Office of the Vice President of Research
William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology
National Science Foundation
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Archeology,Archeology,Conservation,Computer Science Applications,Materials Science (miscellaneous),Chemistry (miscellaneous),Spectroscopy
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