"Little Family Firesides" on the Western Frontier: Archaeological Investigations at a Black Army Laundresses' Quarters

The Latah County Historical Society’s spring speaker series dedicated to exploring myths and realities in the American West will conclude on Tuesday, April 16 with a presentation by Dr. Katrina Eichner. Dr. Eichner is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Idaho, specializing in historical archaeologies of the 19th and 20th century American West. In this talk, Eichner will focus on the Fort Davis Archaeology Project's research into a community of Army laundresses stationed at Fort Davis, Texas during the late 19th century. Using documentary archives and material cultural remains, Eichner argues that Black laundresses and their non-commissioned officer husbands were actually the center of fort community relations, acting as cultural brokers on an otherwise segregated landscape. By (re)associating women of color with heritage landscapes we can better illuminate the complexity of frontier experiences and the importance of community ties to a social landscape in flux. The public is invited to join us for this free event.