Hi there, I'm writing from a 19th century archaeological site in Alabama so
I probably shouldn't even speak up on this, but I'm also in one of the most
bio-diverse regions for fresh water mussels and located just downstream from
an aquatic biodiversity center, where mussels are being raised to
reintroduce into our rivers, so I can't help myself.
I thought it would be worth mentioning , and perhaps you already know this,
but part of the problem with finding these remains on later historic sites
is that later occupation, with its erosion from agriculture, roads and the
denuding of the forest/ vegetative cover, is that lots of silt gets dumped
into the rivers, and this is something that many mussel species just can't
tolerate. It caused the extinction of many species, but certainly
decreased their numbers and perhaps their size making it less practical to
harvest them for food once non-native people started to muck about in the
environment. So, you may want to think not only in terms of food preference
but in terms of environmental change and how pragmatic it would have been to
harvest these creatures in different eras. So, you may want to do some
research on your particular mussel variety and its tolerance for changing
conditions.
Linda Derry
Site Director
Old Cahawba
719 Tremont St.
Selma, AL 36701
ph. 334/875-2529
fax. 334/877-4253
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lyle E.
Browning
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2013 10:05 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Freshwater mussels on 18th century sites
On the question of consumption, assuming you're referring to the 4-5" long
shell that is usually black on the exterior (at least the ones I saw in the
incredibly polluted Tidewater James River in VA), how were they cooked to be
edible? All reports I've had, including one attempt on my own, left a rather
large rubber pellet;)
Unless they were meant to be consumed as some consume oysters, ie, as
sliders.
Lyle Browning
On Jan 24, 2013, at 10:30 AM, Bill wrote:
> Thanks Jim,
>
> Yes I was aware of the button cottage industry in Delaware, in fact we hit
a small deposit on the Route 301 project for DelDOT. No evidence for making
button, purely consumption.
>
> Bill Liebeknecht
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jim
> Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2013 10:12 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Freshwater mussels on 18th century sites
>
> Probably not the case in your situation, but freshwater mussels were used
to make shell buttons. Cheryl Claasen published a SHA monograph on the
subject. Delaware sustained a cottage industry in making shell button blanks
from imported shell, the blanks then shipped to Connecticut for finishing;
but this was in the 20th century, ending abruptly in the early 1990s.
>
>
>
> James G. Gibb
>
> Gibb Archaeological Consulting
>
> 2554 Carrollton Road
>
> Annapolis, Maryland USA ?? 21403
>
> 443.482.9593 (Land) 410.693.3847 (Cell)
>
> www.gibbarchaeology.net ? www.porttobacco.blogspot.com
>
> On 01/24/13, Bill<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Thanks! I will.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Keith
Doms
> Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2013 9:15 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Freshwater mussels on 18th century sites
>
> I think we had 1 or 2 from Block 1191 Wilmington but that is nineteenth
century. Check with Alice to see if she had any from Thompson's Loss and
Gain.
>
> KRD
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bill
> Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2013 9:06 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Freshwater mussels on 18th century sites
>
> Recent excavations on an early 18th century site in central Delaware
recovered some freshwater mussel shells amongst the faunal remains.
> Normally freshwater mussels are associated with Native American sites in
the Middle Atlantic region. This presents the possibility of a Native
American presence or interaction with the European inhabitants of the site
(circa
> 1720 to 1735). Several glass seed beads recovered from floatation further
support this theory. My question is: Has anyone found freshwater mussel
shells on non-Native American 18th century sites in the region?
>
> Thanks for your input in advance!
>
> Bill Liebeknecht, MA, RPA
> Principal Investigator
> Hunter Research, Inc.
> Trenton, New Jersey
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