All,

We recovered slate pencils from a late 18th/ early 19th century site on 
the coast of Maine and from a mid-19th century Moravian site in eastern 
PA. At the latter site, one of the slate pencils was carved- to me it 
looks roughly anthropomorphic (head, shoulders, waist). Slate pencils 
are quite numerous at both sites.

Meg, A student of mine wrote an excellent paper on the topic last year 
(bibliography is more than 2 pages long- extensive for an undergrad 
paper). If you would like, email me off list and I will share her 
contact information. Perhaps she would be willing to share.

Cheers,
Ben

On 4/19/2016 2:13 PM, Carl wrote:
> I too have found slate pencils and writing slates on a wide variety of 
> sites in SC and NC, including sites occupied by African American 
> slaves and Freedmen. Often the slates are scored like notebook paper. 
> I use their presence on Af-Am sites to highlight the desire to learn 
> to read and write, despite laws forbidding the practice.
>
> On 4/19/2016 2:05 PM, Martha Zierden wrote:
>> They are a regular find on sites in Charleston, SC.  They are more 
>> common
>> in 19th century contexts, but some are recovered from late 18th century
>> deposits, as well.  A maximum length is 3"
>> Martha Zierden
>>
>> On Tue, Apr 19, 2016 at 2:00 PM, Keith Doms <[log in to unmask]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> You can check various catalogs (Sears and Montgomery Wards) for 
>>> prices and
>>> some description.  The 1902 Sears repro catalog omits the pencil 
>>> pages but
>>> years ago Sears actually sent me a copy of them.  They sold cedar 
>>> encased
>>> slate pencils at $.08/dozen.
>>>
>>> I recently found a 1 inch nub of a slate pencil with a grove carved 
>>> around
>>> the base.   A worn out pencil that was once tied to something.   Mostly
>>> their presence is noted without much comment.
>>>
>>> Keith R. Doms
>>> Newlin Grist Mill
>>> Site Manager
>>> 219 S. Cheyney Rd.
>>> Glen Mills, PA  19342
>>> (610) 459-2359
>>> [log in to unmask]
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Meg
>>> Gorsline
>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2016 1:09 PM
>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>> Subject: Slate pencils
>>>
>>> Good afternoon,
>>>
>>> I'm trying to gather some information about slate pencils. I've come
>>> across a few publications about writing slates (including Davies 
>>> 2005 and
>>> Swords
>>> 2008) and I'm wondering if folks have any additional suggestions for
>>> literature about slate pencils?
>>> There are a few slate pencils in a 19th century northeast U.S. domestic
>>> collection I'm analyzing, and I am curious to hear what others have 
>>> made of
>>> any slate pencils they've recovered. Thanks in advance for any 
>>> references,
>>> information, or insight you may have to share!
>>>
>>> Best,
>>> Meg Gorsline
>>> Doctoral Candidate
>>> The Graduate Center, CUNY
>>> New York, NY
>>>
>>
>>