Recently there was some archaeological work done on a Baltimore mikvah: http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/news/jt/local_news/historic_mikvah_confirmed_at_lloyd_street/23131 and http://mordechai7215.blogspot.com/2011/03/mikvah-excavation-confirms-observance.html.

 

I'd be really cautious about interpreting the material culture of Jewish sacred life by generalizing too much. Over the past 8 months as I've been researching eruvs I have found some interesting approaches to the construction of ritual spaces and how rabbinical laws and the Torah come into play in the design and execution of the architecture.

 

David Rotenstein

 

______________________________________________________________
David S. Rotenstein, Ph.D., RPA
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-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Julie Abell Horn
Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2011 12:08 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Query about synagogue, mikvah and creamery archaeological sites in US

 

Dear Fellow Histarchers,

 

My colleagues and I are working on an rural site in Connecticut that contains foundation remains of a ca. 1890s synagogue, ca. 1910s mikvah, and ca. 1890s creamery building.  We are looking for any comparative archaeological data on these three types of features in the U.S.  So far we know about the two mikvah sites in lower Manhattan and the one in Baltimore, but are unaware of any others.  We also are having trouble finding archaeological data for synagogues: most sites seem to deal with the superstructure, not the archaeological remains.  Creamery data are also tricky to find; most of the references I've seen are for the Midwest.  I have done the usual internet searches and searches of a number of SHPO and NRHP databases.  We have much historical data for Jewish occupation in Connecticut already and so are mostly looking for archaeological data at this point.  We would greatly appreciate any information you could share.

 

Feel free to contact me off-list.

 

Thanks.

 

Julie Abell Horn, M.A., R.P.A.

Historical Perspectives, Inc.