The Living Landscape of a Freed African American Settlement

235 Pages·2017·8.14 MB·English

by  Angela S. Jaillet

Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Knowledge Repository @ IUP
Teses and Dissertations (All)
5-2011
Te People of Pandenarium: Te Living Landscape
of a Freed African American Setlement
Angela S. Jaillet
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
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THE PEOPLE OF PANDENARIUM: THE LIVING LANDSCAPE OF A FREED AFRICAN
AMERICAN SETTLEMENT

A Thesis
Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies and Research
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts

Angela S. Jaillet
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
May 2011
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
The School of Graduate Studies and Research
Department of Anthropology
We hereby approve the thesis of

Angela Sue Jaillet

Candidate for the degree of Master of Arts
__________________________ _____________Signature on File_______________________
Benjamin Ford, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Advisor

__________________________ _____________Signature on File_______________________
Beverly Chiarulli, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Anthropology

__________________________ _____________Signature on File______________________
Xi Wang, Ph.D.
Professor of History

ACCEPTED
________________________ _____________________________________________________
Timothy P. Mack, Ph.D.
Dean
The School of Graduate Studies and Research

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ABSTRACT
Title: The People of Pandenarium: The Living Landscape of a Freed African American
Settlement
Author: Angela S. Jaillet
Thesis Committee Advisor: Benjamin Ford, PhD
Thesis Committee Members: Beverly Chiarulli, PhD
Xi Wang, PhD
An antebellum freed African American settlement in northwestern Pennsylvania existed
from 1854 into the postbellum period and the early twentieth century. At the time of its
establishment, 63 manumitted African Americans traveled from a central Virginia plantation to
start a new life. The site of Pandenarium, identified as site 36ME253 in the Pennsylvania
Archaeological Site Survey (PASS) Files, persists in the historical and archaeological records,
despite years of neglect and agricultural practices carried out at the site. While vestiges of the
community remain, little was known about the people that once lived at Pandenarium, the
abolitionists that built the settlement, and the wealthy planters that freed them. Historical
archaeological investigations carried out at the site sought to understand the spatial layout of the
site, the motivations of the parties involved in the establishment and development of
Pandenarium, and the lives of the African American residents, pre- and post-Civil War. The
research design was developed using practice theory, cultural landscape theory, and critical
theory. The questions asked of the site, its spatial layout, and the historic records were
ultimately used to elucidate the story of the men, women, and children living at Pandenarium.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to acknowledge the unending patience and willing assistance that were
personified in my advisor, Dr. Ben Ford. His ability to field and answer my questions was
invaluable, as was his advice in organizing and prioritizing the time and energy spent on this
thesis. From fieldwork to proofreading, Dr. Ford’s assistance was invaluable. The education I
have received from Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Applied Archaeology program was
vital to my growth as a professional archaeologist and I have Dr. Beverly Chiarulli, Dr. Sarah
Neusius, and Dr. Phil Neusius to thank for their time and the experience they continue to share
with their students.
I would also like to thank Joe Baker, M.A. at the Cultural Resources Section at
PennDOT. Joe’s continued guidance and friendship motivated me to be the best archaeologist
and professional I could be. PennDOT’s Cultural Resource Professionals, Scott Schaffer, M.A.
and Joe Verbka, M.A. were immensely helpful, letting me bounce questions off them and
digging shovel test pits in a soggy horse pasture. I could not have asked for a more willing group
of landowners to work with, Michael Heini, Sr. and Michael Heini, Jr. offered up their land, their
backhoe skills, and their time answering questions and talking about the unique history of their
land. Seth Byler and Mose Shetler provided me access to their land and dutifully listened to my
exclamations over broken pottery. Local historian, Ruth Woods helped me understand the value
of an interested community and what Pandenarium means to the present-day population through
her stories and enthusiastic aid.
I am forever indebted to the many men and women that volunteered their time, tramping
through the fields and digging shovel test pits in the muggy August heat. First and foremost,
Sean Martorelli and Mike Sprowles, thank you for all of the fieldwork and enthusiasm you
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brought to the site. Tristan Schaffer, Brian Jaillet, Sharon Stalker, Kyle Jaillet, Connie Leonard,
and Bob Stalker donated their time to fieldwork at the site, proofreading, equipment, and were
crucial in the project’s timely completion. I thank you all so much.
Last but not by any means least, Rich Wentling inspired me to be a good person, a good
leader, and a good archaeologist. Providing humor and manual labor in the field and editorial
assistance at home, Rich was my go-to-guy. He let me bounce ideas, theories, and a master’s
thesis off of him. Without his love and support, I could not have completed this thesis.
This research was made possible, in part, through a grant from Indiana University of
Pennsylvania’s School of Graduate Research.
I would like to dedicate this thesis to my parents, Sharon Stalker and Brian Jaillet. My
mother never knew what I would do and my father always knew I loved dirt. Thank you so
much for the unfathomable love and support you have given me all my life. You are my heroes.

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CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION............................................................................................... 1

Historical Fiction: Allen Residence, Albemarle County, Virginia…………………........... 1
Significance at Pandenarium: People and Potential Understanding……………………….. 3
Historical Archaeology and Its Development as a Sub-Disciplinary Study……………….. 4
The African Diaspora and Its Place in Historical Archaeology……..…………………….. 7
An Outline of Chapters……………………..……………………………………………… 8

CHAPTER 2: HISTORICAL NARRATIVE: PANDENARIUM IN CONTEXT..................... 9
African Americans in the Antebellum Period……………………………………………… 9
Resettlement of Freed African Americans in the United States…………………………… 10
The Organized Negro Communities Movement: An Experiment in Freed African
American Communities……………………………………………………………. 12
Beyond the United States: Freed and Fugitive Slave Resettlement in the Americas and
Africa…………………………………………………………………………………... 14
Colonization vs. Abolitionism……………………………………………………………... 15
Planning Pandenarium……………………………………………………………………... 20
History and Development of Pandenarium: Nineteenth Century - Early Twentieth
Century…………………………………………………………………………………. 28
Collaboration amidst Contradiction: Differing Philosophies, Class, and Color at
Pandenarium…………………………………………………………………………… 38

CHAPTER 3: PANDENARIUM IN THEORETICAL CONTEXT…………………………... 42

Historical Archaeology’s Perspective……………………………………………………… 42
Historical Archaeology and Theory……………………………………………………. 42
African Diaspora and Theory………………………………………………………….. 43
Pandenarium in Theoretical Context…………………………………………………......... 45
Practice Theory at Pandenarium……………………………………………………….. 46
Cultural Landscape Theory at Pandenarium…………………………………………… 50
Critical Archaeology at Pandenarium………………………………………………….. 53
Multi-Theoretical Approach at Pandenarium……………………………………………… 54

CHAPTER 4: ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT PANDENARIUM: RESEARCH
DESIGN AND METHODS……………………………………………………………………. 56

Theory, Method and Research Design: Fitting the Pieces Together…………………......... 56
Research Design…………………………………………………………………………….56
Question 1……………………………………………………………………………… 56
Question 2……………………………………………………………………………… 59
Question 3…………………………………………………………………………..….. 60
Question 4…………………………………….……………………………………….. 61
Methodology………………………………..……………………………………………… 63
Background Research……………….…………………………………………………. 63
Field Methods………………….………………………………………………………. 66
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Laboratory Methods…….……………………………………………………………… 69

CHAPTER 5: RESULTS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT
PANDENARIUM……………………………………………………………………………… 74

Cartographic Research: Results………..…………………………………………………... 74
Field Investigations: Results………………..……………………………………………… 83
Laboratory Analysis: Results…………………...………………………………………….. 87
Artifact Analyses: Categorization, Ceramics, Glass, and Distribution…………..…….. 87
Ground-Penetrating Radar: Results and Analysis……………………………………… 93
What Does It All Mean? …………………………………………………………………... 99

CHAPTER 6: INTERPRETING THE PAST FOR THE PRESENT: AN ALTERNATIVE
APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING THE PEOPLE OF PANDENARIUM………………. 101

Framing Our Understanding of Pandenarium……………………………………………… 101
Designing Pandenarium: Southern Slave-owners, Northern Abolitionists, or Both? …...… 102
The Everetts and Their Role in Designing Pandenarium………………………………. 102
The Northern Abolitionists and Their Role in Designing Pandenarium……………..…107
The Layout of Mercer: The Template of a Northern Town……………………………. 109
The Layout of a Hadley: The Template of a Northern Rural Village………………..… 110
The Layout of Two Southern Slave Quarters: Belmont and Monticello’s Mulberry
Row………………………………………………………………………………… 112
The Spatial Layout of Pandenarium: An Archaeologically and Historically Informed
Perspective…………………………………………………………………………. 113
Comparison of Spatial Layouts: Mercer, Hadley, Belmont, Monticello, and
Pandenarium…………………………………………………………………………… 115
Collaboration in the Construction of an Uncommon Endeavor……………………..….117
Renegotiating a Structured Landscape: The African American Community of
Pandenarium…………………………………………………………………………… 118
Beyond the Landscape to the Living: The Lives of the African American Men, Women, and
Children of Pandenarium……………………………………………………………..... 121
First Phase of Re-construction at Pandenarium: Shacks Along the Stream………….……. 121
First-Generation Freed Slaves: The John and Rosie Allen Family Residence…........... 122
Second-Generation Family Life: The Bob and Lizzie Allen Family Residence…….… 124
Domestic Life Amidst Turbulent Times: The Story of African Americans Living at
Pandenarium…………………………………………………………………………… 127

CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION: THE REALITY OF FREEDOM AT PANDENARIUM……. 129

Historical Fiction: Allen Residence, Mercer County, Pennsylvania…………………...….. 129
Synthesis of Archaeology at Pandenarium………………………………………...………. 131
The Importance of Pandenarium……………………………………………..……………. 132
Avenues for Future Research at Pandenarium…………………………………………...… 132
Unexplored Places……………………………………………………………….…….. 133
Unexplored Spaces……………………………………………………………………...134
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Working with Pandenarium’s Descendant Community………………………….……. 134
In Closing: We’ve Only Just Begun…………………………………………..…………… 135

REFERENCES CITED………………………………………………………………………… 136

APPENDICES ……………………………………………………………………………….... 149
Appendix A: Shovel Test Pit Form…………………………………………………………149
Appendix B: GPR Survey Transects………………………………………………………..150
Appendix C: Shovel Test Pit Survey Results……………………………………………… 152
Appendix D: Artifact Catalogue…………………………………………………………… 159
Appendix E: Mean Ceramic Dates………………………………………………………… 204
Appendix F: Glass Assemblage Dates……………………………………………………... 207
Appendix G: GPR Survey Results…………………………………………………………. 209
Appendix H: Manumitted Slaves from the Everett Estate, 1855…………………………... 219
Appendix I: Soils Map of Pandenarium, Site 36ME253…………………………………... 222

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: GPR Survey Data Collection Settings………………………………………………... 69
Table 2: LiDAR Polygon Identification Table………………………………………………… 79
Table 3: LiDAR Linear Feature Identification Table………………………………………….. 79
Table 4: Artifact Distribution of Midden Feature. Combined MNI Count of STPs B1, B1a, B1b,
B1c, B1d and TU 1, S10 W11…………………………………………………………………. 90
Table 5: Artifact Distribution of Wall-Fall Feature. MNI Count of STP Z1………………….. 91
Table 6: Anomaly Identification, Location, and Ground-Truthing Methods………………….. 95
Table 7: Summary of Site Comparison. Qualitative Comparison……………………………... 116

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