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AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL STUDY OF FORT HAMPTON, LIMESTONE COUNTY, ALABAMA (1809-1816)

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Date Issued:
2015
Summary:
This thesis investigated Fort Hampton, an American military installation established in 1809 near the Elk River, in present-day Limestone County, Alabama. Fort Hampton was constructed to remove settlers from Chickasaw lands prior to the cession of 1816. This was a short-lived, but significant era of Anglo and Native American habitation in northern Alabama: one in which the American government seemingly protected the Native American cause. This thesis is the first combination of historical sources and archaeological data in the documentation of Fort Hampton. Fort Hampton's location was formally identified, and Fort Hampton was compared with other forts to better understand its place in the history of settlement in the Southeast. Interpretation of Fort Hampton's material and spatial data from an interregional interaction perspective revealed that it had a focused military objective, limited interaction with the Chickasaw, and was a representation of American power in the frontier where the government hoped to gain control. Artifact patterning confirmed the fit of Fort Hampton's material culture with other frontier sites. Important recommendations were identified for the use of artifact patterning. Specifically, knowledge of site condition, site formation, and the identification of previous recoveries are crucial to the proper use of artifact patterns.
Title: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL STUDY OF FORT HAMPTON, LIMESTONE COUNTY, ALABAMA (1809-1816).
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Name(s): Chandler, Tonya Danielle Johnson, Author
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2015
Publisher: University of West Florida
Language(s): English
Summary: This thesis investigated Fort Hampton, an American military installation established in 1809 near the Elk River, in present-day Limestone County, Alabama. Fort Hampton was constructed to remove settlers from Chickasaw lands prior to the cession of 1816. This was a short-lived, but significant era of Anglo and Native American habitation in northern Alabama: one in which the American government seemingly protected the Native American cause. This thesis is the first combination of historical sources and archaeological data in the documentation of Fort Hampton. Fort Hampton's location was formally identified, and Fort Hampton was compared with other forts to better understand its place in the history of settlement in the Southeast. Interpretation of Fort Hampton's material and spatial data from an interregional interaction perspective revealed that it had a focused military objective, limited interaction with the Chickasaw, and was a representation of American power in the frontier where the government hoped to gain control. Artifact patterning confirmed the fit of Fort Hampton's material culture with other frontier sites. Important recommendations were identified for the use of artifact patterning. Specifically, knowledge of site condition, site formation, and the identification of previous recoveries are crucial to the proper use of artifact patterns.
Identifier: WFE0000476 (IID), uwf:61129 (fedora)
Note(s): 2015-06-01
M.A.
Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
Masters
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/uwf/fd/WFE0000476
Restrictions on Access: public
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Host Institution: UWF

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