Living on the Boott: historical archaeology at the Boott Mills Boardinghouses, Lowell, Massachusetts

182 Pages·1996·3.26 MB·English

by  Grace H. Ziesing

Living On the Boott : Historical
title: Archaeology At the Boott Mills
Boardinghouses, Lowell, Massachusetts
Mrozowski, Stephen A.; Ziesing, Grace H.;
author:
Beaudry, Mary Carolyn
publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
isbn10 | asin: 1558490345
print isbn13: 9781558490345
ebook isbn13: 9780585212814
language: English
Lowell (Mass.)--Antiquities, Archaeology
and history--Massachusetts--Lowell, Boott
subject Mills (Lowell, Mass.) , Boardinghouses--
Massachusetts--Lowell, Working class--
Massachusetts--Lowell--History.
publication date: 1996
lcc: F74.L9M76 1996eb
ddc: 974.4/4
Lowell (Mass.)--Antiquities, Archaeology
and history--Massachusetts--Lowell, Boott
subject: Mills (Lowell, Mass.) , Boardinghouses--
Massachusetts--Lowell, Working class--
Massachusetts--Lowell--History.
Page i
Living on the Boott
Page ii
Frontispiece 1.
A view of the Boott Cotton Millyard
published in Gleason's Pictorial in 1852
Frontispiece 2.
Boston University graduate students excavating a well
discovered in the rear yard of Boott Boardinghouse Unit #48
Page iii
Living on the Boott
Historical Archaeology at the Boott Mills
Boardinghouses, Lowell, Massachusetts
Stephen A. Mrozowski,
Grace H. Ziesing, and Mary C. Beaudry
Copyright © 1996 by the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
LC 95-52177
ISBN 1-55849-034-5 (cloth); 035-3 (pbk.)
Designed by Sally Nichols
Set in New Baskerville
Printed and bound by Thomson-Shore, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data
Mrozowski, Stephen A.
Living on the Boott: historical archaeology at the Boott Mills Boardinghouses,
Lowell, Massachusetts / Stephen A. Mrozowski, Grace H. Ziesing, and Mary C.
Beaudry.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-55849-034-5 (cloth : alk. paper). ISBN 1-55849-035-3
(pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Lowell (Mass.)Antiquities. 2. Archaeology and historyMassachusetts-
Lowell. 3. Boot Mills (Lowell, Mass.) 4. BoardinghousesMassachusettsLowell.
5. Working classMassachusettsLowellHistory.
I. Ziesing, Grace H. II. Beaudry, Mary Carolyn, 1950- . III. Title.
F74.L9M76 1996
974.4'4dc20 95-52177
CIP
British Library Cataloguing in Publication data are available.
This book is published with the support and cooperation of the University of
Massachusetts Boston and the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission.
Page v
Both of us would like to thank Grace Ziesing for her
kindness in allowing us to dedicate this book to the
memories of our fathers,
Eugene James Beaudry and
Stephen Albert Mrozowski Sr.
Page vii
Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Preface xi
Introduction 1
The Boott Mills and Its Boardinghouses 4
Archaeology in a Parking Lot 9
Historical Archaeology in Context 13
Tools of the Trade 15
Putting the Pieces Together 34
Archaeology at the Boott Mills 36
Lowell's Urban Landscape 38
A Landscape Changed 38
Page viii
The Planned City 39
The Backyard Story 43
Living Conditions of Boott Mills Workers 49
Life in an Urban Boardinghouse 50
Sanitation 52
Hygiene 53
Health 55
The Personal Touch 57
Mealtimes at the Boott 59
Working-Class Meals 60
A Telling Comparison 64
Leisure Time at the Boott 66
Cigars and Cutties 67
Alcohol 71
Postscript 74
Clothing and Personal Adornment 75
Jewelry and Beads 77
Hair Combs and Ornaments 78
Buttons and Studs 79
The Bigger Picture 81
Sources and Further Reading 85