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ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD SCHOOL
KING MANOR SITE, JAMAICA, QUEENS, NEW YORK
July 5- August 5, 2005
Hofstra University
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF SLAVERY AND FREEDOM
King Manor is part of the New York City's historic house trust
operated by the City Parks Department and was the home of Rufus King
(1755-1827), a distinguished figure in this nation's early history. Our
research is aimed at recovering material evidence of slavery and freedom
to explain how King Manor was organized as a complex household
consisting of family members alongside enslaved Africans and later free
servants who were intergral to a labor system that made life at the site
possible. The focus of our investigation is the detailed material
aspects of the master-slave/servant relationship evident in the types,
nature, and locations of household work. Artifacts and spatial
associations reveal how surveillance and discipline, as well as
resistance, guided household labor, making the experiences of slavery
and freedom comparable at a tangible, everyday level.
This comparative approach draws from the history of King Manor itself.
King Manor is a well-preserved site listed on the National Register of
Historic Places. It was first occupied after 1765 by the Colgan-Smith
family who are recorded as owning nine enslaved Africans in 1790. Rufus
King, for whom the property is named, obtained in the site in 1805.
While well known for all aspects of his political career, King's most
outstanding contribution was his struggle against slavery in the name of
freedom, especially regarding its expansion to new American territories.
While living at Jamaica, he practiced this belief and did not own
slaves, hiring free servants for household and farm work. King's
vocal opposition to slavery and his use of free labor were unusual for
the time. Emancipation in New York came the same year as King's death
in 1827, and most large landowners of his class and his neighborhood
were slaveowners to that date.
Logistics
The Hofstra field school meets Tuesday - Friday at the King Manor site
from 8am - 4pm. Students need to provide their own housing and
transportation. King Manor is located in Jamaica, Queens only 4 blocks
from subway and LIRR stations. There is limited parking at the site.
All equipment will be provided. There is no prerequisite. The content
of the course will include a practical hands-on introduction to
archaeological fieldwork including site survey, excavation, site
recording procedures, artifact processing and artifact analysis. In
addition students will interact with the public who are invited to view
the excavations as part of their visit to King Manor and a group of
9-12-year-old archaeology campers who will be working with the museum
staff in conjunction with the Hofstra program.
To sign up students need to register with Hofstra University for
Anthropology 33: Archaeological Field Methods. This is a six credit
course, the cost is $3360. To receive a registration form or for any
additional information please visit
http://www.hofstra.edu/academics/summer/summer_admission.cfm
or contact:
Prof. Chris Matthews
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY 11549
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(516) 463-4093
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