Why Documentary Art? Documentary art is created to represent lifestyles or events of the past, provoke lively discussions, and generate questions. Teaching Through Documentary Art: Lessons for Elementary and Middle School Social Studies Teachers (http://arch.as.uky.edu/) is an on-line resource of innovative lessons linked to documentary art: two murals featured in the award-winning documentary Davis Bottom, Rare History, Valuable Lives. Developed with Kentucky teachers in mind, … Continue reading Archaeology and Documentary Art at Davis Bottom

Ivor Noel Hume once found 47 wine bottles filled with cherries during an excavation of a tavern at Colonial Williamsburg. While it is fun to think about, I’m fairly sure that I will never find a jug of whiskey on an early Kentucky farm distillery (sealed “dusties” from industrial distilleries are a different story). At the Jouett / Buck distillery (beginning around 1790), Jack was … Continue reading Whiskey, Archaeology, and Things That Will Never Be Excavated

I am a historian first and foremost. I spend my time in libraries and archives; I read through deed books and city directories; I survey buildings and structures (and yes there is a difference). But, I also have experience in the field as an archaeologist, albeit somewhat minimal. There is no need for me to outline the countless differences between the methodologies of these disciplines … Continue reading History and Archaeology

Stereotypes about Appalachia, the largely mountainous region stretching 420 counties from New York to Mississippi, have abounded in the media for the past 150 years. Appalachia has been portrayed as a totally rural, homogenous region: a backwards, backwoods colony of poor white hillbillies lagging behind the rest of America in terms of moral, material, and social development. In truth, Appalachia is a diverse region, and … Continue reading Appalachian Stereotypes and the Case of Cosmopolitan Coal Camps

When I was in the sixth grade, there was nothing I wanted more than to go on an archaeological dig.  In 1964, that wasn’t likely to happen for a kid in elementary school growing up in Louisville.  So all I could do was check out every library book I could find and soak up the romance I found in magazine articles.  Articles with titles like … Continue reading Living the Dream

  Aerial View of Slack Farm Shortly After the Looting was Halted.   December 19, 1987 was not only my 36th birthday, but it also was the day I first set foot on the Slack Farm site (15Un28) in Union County, Kentucky.  I was then into my fifth year as a staff archaeologist with the Kentucky Heritage Council.  Sergeant Miles Hart of the Kentucky State … Continue reading Slack Farm Thirty Years Ago

Did you know during the 18th and early 19th century Kentucky was the 3rd largest producer of iron in the country? The first iron making operation in Kentucky began in 1791 with Bourbon Iron Works – before Kentucky was a state! Fig. 1. Rare photograph of a 19th century iron furnace in operation, probably from eastern Kentucky.  Photo undated, on file, Cumberland District Office, Daniel … Continue reading Iron Furnaces of Kentucky

As a student, it was easy to forget that my professors were also human beings; naturally, they all had faults, quirks, and idiosyncrasies like anyone else I knew. For the most part, I never knew those individuals beyond the classroom. And that’s a regret, because I had many fine teachers. Luckily, one of the few I did get to know was Kit Wesler. Kit was … Continue reading In Memoriam

Davis Bottom The Davis Bottom neighborhood once sat on the very edge of Lexington, Kentucky. Today, it is located only one-half mile southwest of downtown. You might think everyone always wanted to live in Davis Bottom. It would be easy to get to work in downtown offices and to shop in downtown stores. But you would be wrong. In the early 20th century, buses and … Continue reading A Neighborhood Remembered