Everyday Religion: An Archaeology of Protestant Belief and Practice in the Nineteenth Century

251 Pages·2015·2.03 MB·English

by  Hadley Kruczek-Aaron

Everyday Religion
A co-publication with the Society for Historical Archaeology
University Press of Florida
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers
Florida International University, Miami
Florida State University, Tallahassee
New College of Florida, Sarasota
University of Central Florida, Orlando
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of North Florida, Jacksonville
University of South Florida, Tampa
University of West Florida, Pensacola
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Everyday Religion
d
An Archaeology
of Protestant Belief and Practice
in the Nineteenth Century
Hadley Kruczek-Aaron
University Press of Florida
Gainesville / Tallahassee / Tampa / Boca Raton
Pensacola / Orlando / Miami / Jacksonville / Ft. Myers / Sarasota
Copyright 2015 by the Society for Historical Archaeology
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
This book may be available in an electronic edition.
20 19 18 17 16 15 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kruczek-Aaron, Hadley, author.
Everyday religion : an archaeology of protestant belief and practice in the nineteenth century /
Hadley Kruczek-Aaron.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8130-6108-5
1. Second Great Awakening—United States. 2. Protestantism—United States—History—
19th century. 3. Christian sociology—United States—History. 4. Revivals—United States—
History. 5. United States—Church history—19th century. I. Title.
BR525.K78 2015
277.3’081—dc23 2015004612
The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing agency for the State University
System of Florida, comprising Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida
Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida State University, New College
of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of North Florida,
University of South Florida, and University of West Florida.
University Press of Florida
15 Northwest 15th Street
Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
http://www.upf.com
Contents
List of Figures vi
List of Tables vii
Acknowledgments ix
1. Archaeology and Everyday Religion: An Introduction 1
2. The Second Great Awakening and the Remaking of Everyday Life 14
3. Archaeology and the Second Great Awakening 42
4. Awake in the Burned-Over District 57
5. Perfecting the Home Front 78
6. Community Response to Reform’s Alarm 119
7. Struggling over Religion and Reform in the Past and the Present 150
8. Remembering Everyday Religion: Conclusions 172
Appendix 177
Notes 193
References 195
Index 229
Figures
1.1. Daguerreotype of Gerrit Smith at the 1850 Cazenovia Anti–Fugitive
Slave Law Convention 10
1.2. Map of Smithfield and Peterboro, New York 11
4.1. Smith family portrait, c. 1870 61
4.2. Occupational breakdown in Smithfield, 1850 62
5.1. Map of archaeological testing, Smithfield 89
5.2. Icehouse south wall profile 91
5.3. Photograph of icehouse foundation 91
5.4. Inset of 1859 map of Peterboro 107
5.5. Front view of Smith mansion with 1852–1855 renovations 111
5.6. East side of renovated Smith mansion 111
5.7. Smith’s land office and west side of Smith estate, c. 2004 112
5.8. Gerrit Smith’s grave marker, Peterboro Cemetery, 2014 115
5.9. Smith family plot, Peterboro Cemetery 117
6.1. Stratigraphic profile, east wall of the temperance hotel feature 128
6.2. Stoneware ale jug fragment 128
6.3. Comparison of tobacco-pipe assemblages from five Smithfield
sites 133
6.4. Number of pipe fragments, as percent of nonarchitectural
assemblage 133
6.5. Liberty Party vote totals for Smithfield and Madison County,
1843–1847 138
Tables
4.1. Top landowners in Smithfield, 1850, by value of real estate 63
5.1. Distribution of tableware and teaware, by site and decoration
type 101
5.2. Mean decoration index, by site and form 102
5.3. Mean CC index value for plates and teas recovered from all four
sites 102
5.4. Construction history of structures and landscape features at Gerrit
Smith Estate 106
6.1. Glass vessel distribution, by type 131
6.2. Pipe fragment distribution, Eastman units 134
6.3. Motifs found on pipes from all Smithfield assemblages 136
6.4. Smithfield November election results, 1840–1847 137
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Acknowledgments
Though I have experienced more than a few lonely days in the Peterboro dirt,
at the lab, and in front of my computer, this book is a product of the effort and
generosity of many. The first act in the life of this research took place while I
was at Syracuse University, where I benefited from the mentorship of many fine
scholars, teachers, and friends. First and foremost, I would like to thank The-
resa Singleton for advocating for me and my local project, for always pushing
me to answer the hard questions, and for having patience with me as I did my
best to answer them. To LouAnn Wurst, who was on the faculty at Syracuse at
the time and who encouraged me to see the potential in studying a “dead, rich,
white male,” I thank you for empowering me to find my voice and to have the
confidence to express it. I am grateful to Doug Armstrong for involving me in
the community preservation efforts that blossomed in the region when I was
in residence at Syracuse. Those experiences radically changed my thoughts
on the meaning and potential of archaeology, and it has significantly altered
how I have done my work ever since. Thanks also to Milton Sernett and John
Burdick for bringing fresh perspectives and helpful guidance from outside of
the discipline of archaeology.
This research would not have been possible without the efforts of the Smith-
field Community Association, whose members have tirelessly and thanklessly
given their time, energy, and resources to preserve their history. To Dot Willsey
and Norm Dann, you could not have been more generous to me while I was
in the field and during my many visits since then. You saved me from the heat
by providing me with a tent, and you graciously opened your home whenever
I needed it. Your enthusiasm for my work and our good conversations when
you visited me in my units always energized me on those sometimes frustrat-
ing days in the field. To Donna Burdick and Beth Spokowsky, you were equally