Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
8-2022
Keywords
Metal, Archaeology, Alsatian, Castroville, Texas, Medina County, Empresario System, Materialism, Collections-Based Research, Consumerism
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Anthropology
First Advisor
Dr. Ruth M. Van Dyke
Series
Social Sciences
Subject Heading(s)
Archaeological dating--Castroville (Tex.)
Abstract
In this work I investigate changes in historical metal consumption practices over time at Biry/Ahr House, a frontier settlement in Castroville, Texas. Alsatian immigrants settled this site in Medina County as part of the empresario system of the 1840s. Biry/Ahr House was home to two families, the Birys (1844-1921) and the Groff/Tschirharts (1921-1972). Using vibrant materialism, consumerism, and collections-based research, I address the ways in which metal usage changed over time at the site as well as the factors behind these changes. I also consider the role that Alsatian heritage has played in the transformation of Biry/Ahr House from a historical home to the Living History Center it is today.
Recommended Citation
Logan, Maggie, "Cracked Cans, Bent Wire: Dating Historical Metal at Biry/Ahr House, Castroville, Texas" (2022). Graduate Dissertations and Theses. 125.
https://orb.binghamton.edu/dissertation_and_theses/125
