PT was and perhaps still is, used as a “fence” around Fort Knox, or at least that’s the legend.
I have found it on two southern plantations, very near the main house and not associated with African-American sites.
It is indeed a vicious plant, and when walked into in a wooded environment, brings a new level of multiple pain to the day.
But do check the edibility of the “orange” as I had not heard that it was edible.
Lyle Browning, RPA
> On Jun 29, 2015, at 12:17 PM, Linda Derry <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> 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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