Archaeological Objects
Early 1800s
Cultural Resource Management Study No. 22
Figure 5.4
Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research.
University of Massachusetts Boston, page 82.
Pearlware, like this saucer, accounted for about half of the ceramics found in the 2005 archaeological excavation at the African Meeting House. Many of the pearlware were hand painted and date back to before the 1840s. This saucer is hand painted with a polychrome floral design. Archaeologists found approximately 10 pearlware saucers in this dig. The total amount of ceramics found at the excavation could be a result of the public dinners at the African Meeting House or the tenancy of Domingo Williams.*
Questions to Consider:
- What do the numerous saucers and teacups found in the excavation tell you about community activities at the African Meeting House?
- Are there any places in your life where you gather with friends, family, and your community? If there was an archaeological excavation there 100 years from now, what would archaeologists find?
* “Investigating the Heart of a Community: Archaeological Excavations at the African Meeting House, Boston, Massachusetts.” Cultural Resource Management Study No. 22 by the Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research. University of Massachusetts Boston, pages 79-86.
