The possibility of some form of horse tack had occurred to us, which in some
respects makes it all the more compelling to try and associate the rivets
with the earlier mission occupation (with 15 cavalry soldiers garrisoned
there). But Elizabeth's discovery of the same items (including star) from a
site dating to the time of our sawmill makes me think they might be later.
Is there any chance this type of rivet technology pre-dates 1760? If not,
then the sawmill operation might be the best bet.
The length of the rivets does indeed suggest they could have been used as
leather fasteners of some sort, including horse tack such as bridles,
harnesses, saddles, etc. "Copper rivets and burrs" are mentioned in several
sources as being used for making and repairing horse tack. I also wondered
about something related to the steam engine technology of the mill itself,
perhaps including "copper belt rivets" mentioned in some of the period
literature.
At this point I'm certainly open to these or other ideas...our
archaeological context is such that it could date to almost any time after
1761, which doesn't in itself narrow down our options.
John
On Sat, Jun 4, 2011 at 1:24 PM, BERNARD FONTANA <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
> Are rivets for harness tack a possibility? B. Fontana
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Elizabeth Newman" <[log in to unmask]
> >
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2011 10:37 AM
> Subject: Re: Copper alloy rivets
>
>
>
> Hi John (and everybody else),
>
> I'm eager to hear the answers to this query as I have nearly identical
> artifacts
> from a 19th century hacienda in Puebla in Central Mexico (the dates for my
> contexts would match your sawmill incidentally). I have no washers, and the
> shafts of the rivets are mostly longer (though they come in different
> lengths)
> and unflattened. Perhaps we have the same thing but mine haven't been used
> for
> whatever they are used for yet.
>
> Other than the exceptions listed above, they are identical to size,
> material,
> even the raised star on the head. If you (or anyone else) would like photos
> of
> mine, let me know. I'll locate them and send them along off list.
>
>
> If anybody has replied off list, will you share their responses? I would
> LOVE
> to know what these things are and have been meaning to send out this very
> query
> for quite some time now.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Elizabeth
>
> Elizabeth Terese Newman, PhD
> Assistant Professor, History
> Director, Environmental Humanities Program
>
> Department of History
> Stony Brook University
> SBS 3-301
> Stony Brook, NY 11794-4348
>
> Office: Social and Behavioral Sciences S-349
> Phone: (631) 632-7530
> email: [log in to unmask]
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: John Worth <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Sat, June 4, 2011 7:46:25 AM
> Subject: Copper alloy rivets
>
> Dear all,
> I'd appreciate some help dating and identifying some copper-alloy rivets we
> have found on an 18th-century Florida mission site (Mission San Joseph de
> Escambe, c1741-1761) which also has a nearby late 19th-century sawmill
> (c1866-1884) which could also be associated with these items. Perhaps a
> dozen sets of these rivets and washers were found in the upper level of a
> single 1x1m unit at this pristine, unplowed site, in the immediate vicinity
> of a large post-on-sill wall trench structure we have tentatively
> identified
> as the Spanish cavalry barracks built in 1760 (the site was garrisoned for
> a
> little over a year and a half; project blog linked below for additional
> context about the site).
>
> Here is the link to the photos on Flickr:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/pensacolacolonialfrontiers/
>
> The shafts of the rivets are smooth, and the heads are plain except for one
> with a raised star, shown in one of the pictures.
>
> Thanks,
> John Worth
>
> --
> John E. Worth, Ph.D.
> Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology
> University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, Pensacola, FL 32514
> Phone: (850) 857-6204 Fax: (850) 857-6278
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> Home Page: http://www.uwf.edu/jworth
> Graduate Advising Resource Page:
> http://www.uwf.edu/jworth/teaching.htm#Advisement
> 2011 Field School Blog: http://pensacolacolonialfrontiers.blogspot.com/
>
--
John E. Worth, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology
University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, Pensacola, FL 32514
Phone: (850) 857-6204 Fax: (850) 857-6278
Email: [log in to unmask]
Home Page: http://www.uwf.edu/jworth
Graduate Advising Resource Page:
http://www.uwf.edu/jworth/teaching.htm#Advisement
2011 Field School Blog: http://pensacolacolonialfrontiers.blogspot.com/
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