Tricia, 

Back in 1998, we (I along with Mike Meyer)  excavated a portion of the
"Forks of Cypress," which was the plantation house of the Jackson family
near Florence Alabama(in the Tennessee River valley - NW corner of Alabama).
James Jackson was the owner of many famous race horses in the 1830s, and
later this plantation was home to Queen, the enslaved ancestor of Alex
Haley, the author of Roots.  There was a kitchen wing attached to the grand
structure (probably where Queen resided) and we found alphabet ceramics in
the robbers trench for the east wall of this kitchen wing, and in a clay cap
above an ash layer that covered and infiltrated the loose destruction
debris. 


In the robber's Trench, we found 3 ironstone alphabet plate fragments that
were molded with the letter "R."

In a clay cap over the destruction debris, we found 4 blue/green transfer
print fragments of a child's alphabet cup (rim and base sherds)  with the
letters "V,W,X,Y." I think this cup also had cats on it.   Also in this
layer, we found 2 alphabet rim sherds molded with the letters "S" and "T."

Canning jars in the debris layer indicated that this layer was deposited no
earlier than 1895, and the ashy layer had a ceramic sherd with a
manufacturing date range from 1895 to 1907.  A beer bottle base recovered
was also from this same period.  This suggested to us that the destruction
of the kitchen wing coincided with the sale of the Forks of Cypress in 1910
out of the Jackson family (the family that built the mansion).  This trash
dump probably reflects an extensive clean up directly before or after the
original family moved away. 

And since the ash layer over the rubble was very loose with large air
pockets, we believe the ash was sealed soon after with the orange clay cap.


Hope that gives you the context that you wanted.   A report is on file at
the Alabama Historical Commission and is entitled:  Forks of Cypress -
Archaeological Excavation Report, 1-Lu-520,"Ruined Castle."

I can probably eventually dig out the artifacts and get pictures of the
alphabet items if you need that and/or photo copy and mail the inventory of
artifacts found in each layer.  Just contact me.


Linda Derry
Site Director
Old Cahawba
719 Tremont St.
Selma, AL 36701
ph. 334/875-2529
fax. 334/877-4253
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-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of P
Samford
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 8:56 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Alphabet Plates Inquiry

I am currently doing some research into alphabet or ABC plates -
white-bodied earthenwares produced during the 19th and early 20th centuries
and containing alphabets, usually molded or printed around the rim.  We have
found examples so far from six Maryland collections and I am interested in
learning about other examples found in the U.S.  I am particularly
interested in the context of the items-dating, type of site, occupants, type
of feature or layer in which the artifact was recovered.

Thank you in advance for sharing your findings.

Patricia Samford
Director, Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory
Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum
10515 Mackall Road
St. Leonard, MD 20685