A dialogue between material remains, historical documents, and oral history : Allenfarm and Rogers Plantation, a case study

Abstract

Often lost behind the mythic veneer of Texas history is the fact that the eastern one-third of the state was a true part of the antebellum South. As a result, research into slavery era Texas has been slow in developing. This is especially true in historical archaeological and material culture studies t)f slavery. With the exception of a few articles and historical archaeological studies, very little has been done in the way of material culture studies of Texas slavery. For Brazos County, there has only been one study, and much of its focus is on the postbellum period. The aim of this dissertation is to interpret and present a material culture study of antebellum life on Allenfarm, Rogers Plantation, and the Millican region of southwestern Brazos County with respect to those who settled the land, their lifeways, and their impact on the land. To accomplish this goal, the dissertation utilizes a variety of available materials and a cross-disciplinary approach to interpreting the materials. In doing so, a methodology for studying and inferring the meaning of the material culture in regions where there is scant physical evidence is developed. What emerges is a picture of a rich culture created by the interaction of slaves and their white owners and neighbors in a unique, frontier experience.