Thanks again to everyone for their help about ditches and cemetery
boundaries.
But since several of you discussed Osage orange or bois d'arch, I'm going
to ask about another plant, called trifoliate orange (poncirus trifoliata -
or Citrus trifoliata) or sometimes hardy orange or wild orange.
I've found a May 1892 edition of The Maufacturer and Builder journal that
advocated replacing osage orange with trifoliate orange (Poncirus
trifoliata) as a hedge plant. According to the journal, Manufacturer and
Builder, trifoliate orange was originally brought in to aid in an attempt
to grow citrus in more northern areas, ( I hear it is part of the Satsuma's
orange's heritage even today) but it was quickly was adopted as a hedge
plant because as this journal said " the thorns on the so-called Osage
orange being in comparison mere prickles."
I also found a Nov, 1906 Scientific American Supplement that says that "the
common variety of the trifoliate orange was introduced into this country by
the late William Saunders of the Department of Agriculture, in 1869.'"
(although
Locally, I always find it in old rural African American Cemeteries, so I'm
wondering if others in the Southeast may have noticed this also. I can see
where it might have symbolic import, since it does in the winter resemble
Christ's crown of thorns, and the stem is evergreen, and it has the
trifoliate leaves (as in the trinity). So, keep your eyes open and let
me know where you see this "invasive" and if its location implies hedges,
orangeries, or symbolic cemetery planting.
This symbolic use is just a wild speculation on my part right now, since I
have no historical documentation about that application, and I'm still
trying to figure out if any animals would eat this bitter citrus fruit and
thereby spread the plant without the intervention of humans. (I planted
one outside my office window and have been watching it for decades' the
birds love to nest inside the thorny mass, but have never seen anything try
to eat the fruit other than my staff's failed attempt to make eatable
marmalade.
I'd love to hear from other archaeologists that may have noticed some
pattern in the location of these small trees / shrubs in their survey work.
Linda Derry
Site Director, Old Cahawba Archaeological Park
Alabama Historical Commission
719 Tremont Street, Selma, AL 36701
office: 334/875-2529
park: 334/ 872-8058
[log in to unmask]
On Fri, Jun 26, 2015 at 7:04 PM, David Parkhill <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Yes, bois d'arc was used as fence post among other choices items. Indians
> and early pioneers used thorns for needles along with mesquite trees.
> Indians also used Bois d'arc for bows. If you can find the write up by Bill
> Holm he shows plots on his maps where the Indians took very young saplings
> along with them on the War Trail, in West Texas. The camping spots shows
> part of the Comanche War Trails which are many. A very dear friend of mine
> made some of the most beautiful bows which were valued by his friends.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Barbara Hickman
> Sent: Friday, June 26, 2015 4:04 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Selective bibliography - ICOMOS Documentation centre
>
> Linda, this anecdotal, but it seems a good example. My grandfather
> (1863-1951) used bois d'arc along some property lines here in central
> Texas in lieu of barb wire. He is said to have thought 'bodark' was more
> effective at keeping cattle inside the property than wire. It grew quickly
> into an almost impenetrable hedge.
>
> David T. Parkhill
> Avocational Archaeologist
>
> Barbara J Hickman
> Archeologist III
> Archeological Studies Program
> Environmental Affairs Division
> Texas Department of Transportation
> 125 East 11th Street
> Austin TX 78701
> 512-416-2637
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kate
> Johnson
> Sent: Friday, June 26, 2015 3:58 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Selective bibliography - ICOMOS Documentation centre
>
> Linda,
>
> I read a couple papers that describe the use of osage orange hedge
> specifically as fencing and meant to distinguish specific boundaries.The
> 3rd footnote to the second paper (Hewes & Jung 1981) also references
> several sources that note the use of ditches alone or ditches plus fence /
> hedge as being used to demarcate legal property boundaries. Hopefully one
> of these sources can be of use!
>
>
>
> * Hewes, L. 1981. Early fencing on the western margins of the prairie.
> Annals of the Association of American Geographers 71 (4):499–526. Hewes,
> L., and C. L. Jung. 1981. Early Fencing on the Middle Western Prairie.
> Annals of the Association of American Geographers 71 (2):177–201.*
>
> Footnote from Hewes & Jung 1981:
>
> Herbert G. Schmidt, *Agriculture in New Jersey* (New Brunswick: Rutgers
> University Press, 1973), p.73, cites ditches as legal enclosures as early
> as 1730. Lewis Cecil Gray, *History of Agriculture in the Southern United
> States to 1860*, Vol. 1 (New York: Peter Smith, 1941), p. 540, refers to
> the occasional use of ditches and sod fences supplemented by small post and
> rail fences on the embankments. Stevenson Whitecomb Fletcher, *Pennsylvania
> Agriculture and** Country Life, 1640-1840* (Harrisburg:
> PennsylvaniaHistorical and Museum Commission, 1950), p. 87, cites the use
> of ditches with hedges in 1778. See also John A. Warder, *Hedges and
> Evergreens: A complete Manual for the Cultivation, Pruning, and Management
> of all Plants suitable for American Hedging; especially the Maclura, or
> Osage Orange* (New York: Orange Judd Company, Agriculture Book
> Publishers,Press, 1858), pp. 174, 195, 201.
>
> Best wishes,
> Kate
>
> On Fri, Jun 26, 2015 at 2:35 PM, Linda Derry <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> > Histarchers,
> >
> > I need your help. There is a cemetery in our archaeological park that
> > was established by the Alabama legislature in 1851 but we can't find
> > any legal records that describe the boundaries. However there are
> > historical records (newspaper reports mostly) that say that the
> > cemetery was "surrounded by a ditch" and a few years after it was
> > created, an osage orange hedge was planted just inside the ditch.
> >
> > Today, the ditch is still very apparent, and there are a few aged
> > osage orange trees too.
> >
> > Our attorney has told us he does't think that he can use the ditch as
> > evidence of the boundary, because of the word "surrounds" since, as he
> > says, "its like saying that the Indians surrounded the fort and that
> > doesn't imply they were establishing a boundary." A fence he would
> > accept, and he may consider the osage orange, but he doesn't seem to
> > think we can protect the ditch from our neighbor's bulldozers.
> >
> > So, I am turning to you for help. Are there other examples of
> > graveyards that were enclosed by ditches, or documented evidence that
> > ditches were used as boundary markers. I'm trying to argue that
> > historically ditches were just as real as fences in establishing
> boundaries.
> >
> > Linda Derry
> > Site Director, Old Cahawba Archaeological Park Alabama Historical
> > Commission
> > 719 Tremont Street, Selma, AL 36701
> > office: 334/875-2529
> > park: 334/ 872-8058
> > [log in to unmask]
> >
>
> --
> *Katharine Johnson*
> PhD Candidate, Dept of Geography
> Geospatial Data & Web Development Specialist Map and Geographic
> Information Center Connecticut State Data Center University of Connecticut
> [log in to unmask]
> http://geomorphology.uconn.edu/research-group/kate-johnson/
> <http://uconn.academia.edu/KatharineJohnson>
> Talk. Text. Crash.
>
>
> [Talk. Text. Crash.]<
> http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/division/traffic/safety/share-road/distracted.html
> >
>
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