Bibliographic Information
Article Title
At the Intersections of History: Collaborative, Public Archaeology of the Nineteenth-Century Tom Cook Blacksmith Shop along the Chisholm Trail in Bolivar, Texas
Journal Title
Advances in Archaeological Practice
Author(s)
Menaker, Alexander and Clark, William Howard and Boyd, Douglas K. and Franklin, Maria and Wright, Halee Clark and Hanselka, Kevin
Month of Publication
September
Year of Publication
2023
Volume Number
11
Issue Number
3
Article Pages
328–40
Web Address (URL)
Additional Information
Language
English
Notes
Abstract
The Bolivar Archaeological Project exemplifies the possibilities of archaeology as service, incorporating descendant communities and local stakeholders into the fabric of the research design and planning for a state infrastructure project. This collaborative, multidisciplinary project attends to marginalized histories to offer a model for how publicly funded cultural resources management archaeology can serve multiple goals. The Bolivar Archaeological Project was conceived as a public archaeology project, with dual goals of being community driven and yielding scholarly contributions. In the shifting rural–urban landscape of Denton County, a Texas Department of Transportation road improvement project has supported archaeological investigations of two nineteenth-century sites—a blacksmith shop and hotel—associated with the historic Chisholm Trail. The blacksmith shop belonged to Tom Cook, an African American freedman, whose descendants reside nearby and became active participants in the investigations, including as collaborative authors in this article. The project illustrates the importance of representation and praxis to realize inclusive community engagement, with this article outlining the development of the project and ongoing research. Informed by Black feminist archaeologies, the project works at the intersections of local communities and state infrastructure while navigating landscapes of fraught histories and presents to forge an archaeology for the twenty-first century.
Taxonomies
RPA Codes & Standards
- Adequate Preparation for Research Projects
- Appropriate Dissemination of Research
- Archaeologist's Responsibility to Colleagues, Employees, and Students
- Archaeologist's Responsibility to Employers and Clients
- Archaeologist's Responsibility to the Public
- Integrity of Research Methodology
- Procedures for Field Survey or Excavation
- Specimen and Research Record Storage
CIfA Codes
- Principle 1: Adherence to ethical and responsible behaviour in archaeological affairs
- Principle 3: Responsibility for acquiring and recording reliable information of the past in archaeological research
- Principle 4: Responsibility for the availability of archaeological results within reasonable dispatch
- Principle 5: Recognition of aspirations of employees, colleagues and helpers in all matters of employment
Keywords & Terms
- Accountability
- Adequate and Responsible Reporting, Publication, and Dissemination
- Adequate Preparation
- African American Studies and Black Diaspora
- Anti-Black Racism
- Anti-Colonial
- Consultation/Partnership with Affected Groups
- Critical Theory
- Employer/Client Relationships
- Equity and Representation; Discrimination and Harassment
- Gender and Sexuality
- General Archaeological Ethics
- Impact on Communities - Local, Descendant, etc.
- Knowledge Production
- Management of Cultural Resources, Heritage, History
- Multi-Vocal Forms of Practice
- Pedagogy
- Professional Qualification
- Professional Relationships and Communication
- Professional Standards
- Public Interest, Collaboration, Education, and Outreach
- Reflexivity
- Repatriation
- Respect for and Responsibility to Affected Groups
- Standards of Data Collection, Recordation, Analysis
- Standards of Training and Student/Teacher Responsibilities
- Stewardship
- Transparency
Topics & Issues
- AAGPRA
- Archaeological Advocacy and Activism
- Archaeological Education
- Archaeological Ethics - Other
- Archaeological Societies and Codes of Ethics
- BLM (Black Lives Matter Movement)
- Careers in Archaeology
- Civic Engagement
- Collaboration in Archaeology (i.e. Communities, Non-Archaeologists, etc.)
- Community Archaeology and Participatory Research
- Compensation for Work
- Conservation and Ethics
- Contract Archaeology
- Cultural Resource Management (CRM)
- Decolonizing Archaeology
- Descendant, Resident, and Stakeholder Communities
- Equity, Representation, and Diversity
- Ethical Dilemmas
- Ethical Responsibilities of Archaeologists
- Ethics of Collecting
- Ethnicity in Archaeology
- Feminism and Intersectionality
- Gender and Sexuality
- Heritage Management
- Historic/Cultural Resource/Site Preservation
- Historical Archaeology
- Interdisciplinary Research
- Legislation and Archaeological Preservation
- Privilege and Issues of Inclusivity
- Professional Development
- Professionalism and Professional Standards
- Public Archaeology
- Public Engagement, Outreach, and Education
- Public Memory and Public Space
- Publishing, Citation, and Dissemination
- Race in Archaeology
- Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, and Other Forms of Discrimination
- Universities, Academia, and Student Training
- Women in Archaeology
- Working with Student Volunteers and the Public

