Multi-method analysis of a historic wooden trough from Kentucky, USA: a case study in corroborating artifact oral histories with heritage science
Abstract Oral 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 m...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Heritage Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-023-01075-3 |
| _version_ | 1797630003038388224 |
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| author | Katharine G. Napora George M. Crothers Carla S. Hadden Lisa Guerre Laura J. Waldman Hugo Reyes-Centeno James Keppeler Madeline Imler Edward Jakaitis Alexander Metz Philip B. Mink |
| author_facet | Katharine G. Napora George M. Crothers Carla S. Hadden Lisa Guerre Laura J. Waldman Hugo Reyes-Centeno James Keppeler Madeline Imler Edward Jakaitis Alexander Metz Philip B. Mink |
| author_sort | Katharine G. Napora |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Oral 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:01:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-16facc76c36d495d87d61ab2f77c200c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-7445 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:01:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heritage Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-16facc76c36d495d87d61ab2f77c200c2023-11-12T12:26:28ZengSpringerOpenHeritage Science2050-74452023-11-0111111310.1186/s40494-023-01075-3Multi-method analysis of a historic wooden trough from Kentucky, USA: a case study in corroborating artifact oral histories with heritage scienceKatharine G. Napora0George M. Crothers1Carla S. Hadden2Lisa Guerre3Laura J. Waldman4Hugo Reyes-Centeno5James Keppeler6Madeline Imler7Edward Jakaitis8Alexander Metz9Philip B. Mink10Department of Anthropology, Florida Atlantic UniversityDepartment of Anthropology, University of KentuckyCenter for Applied Isotope Studies at the University of GeorgiaUniversity of Kentucky William S. Webb Museum of AnthropologyDepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of KentuckyDepartment of Anthropology, University of KentuckyDepartment of Anthropology, University of KentuckyDepartment of Anthropology, University of KentuckyMammoth Cave National ParkDepartment of Anthropology, University of KentuckyKentucky Office of State ArchaeologyAbstract Oral 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.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-023-01075-3Mammoth CaveSaltpeter miningHistoric artifactsOral histories3D scanningRadiocarbon wiggle-match dating |
| spellingShingle | Katharine G. Napora George M. Crothers Carla S. Hadden Lisa Guerre Laura J. Waldman Hugo Reyes-Centeno James Keppeler Madeline Imler Edward Jakaitis Alexander Metz Philip B. Mink Multi-method analysis of a historic wooden trough from Kentucky, USA: a case study in corroborating artifact oral histories with heritage science Heritage Science Mammoth Cave Saltpeter mining Historic artifacts Oral histories 3D scanning Radiocarbon wiggle-match dating |
| title | Multi-method analysis of a historic wooden trough from Kentucky, USA: a case study in corroborating artifact oral histories with heritage science |
| title_full | Multi-method analysis of a historic wooden trough from Kentucky, USA: a case study in corroborating artifact oral histories with heritage science |
| title_fullStr | Multi-method analysis of a historic wooden trough from Kentucky, USA: a case study in corroborating artifact oral histories with heritage science |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multi-method analysis of a historic wooden trough from Kentucky, USA: a case study in corroborating artifact oral histories with heritage science |
| title_short | Multi-method analysis of a historic wooden trough from Kentucky, USA: a case study in corroborating artifact oral histories with heritage science |
| title_sort | multi method analysis of a historic wooden trough from kentucky usa a case study in corroborating artifact oral histories with heritage science |
| topic | Mammoth Cave Saltpeter mining Historic artifacts Oral histories 3D scanning Radiocarbon wiggle-match dating |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-023-01075-3 |
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