Archaeological Investigations at Rowan Oak: Searching for Evidence of Antebellum Slavery

Author

Arianna Faith Kitchens, University of MississippiFollow

Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Sociology and Anthropology

First Advisor

Tony Boudreaux

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Although best-known as the home of William Faulkner, Rowan Oak and a number of associated outbuildings were built by Robert Sheegog, a wealthy individual who owned multiple plantations and dozens of slaves. Sheegog held seven to nine slaves at Rowan Oak, renting some out to the University of Mississippi for labor-intensive tasks such as constructing the Lyceum and other campus buildings. Although it is known that enslaved individuals lived and worked on the property of Rowan Oak, the location of their housing remains a mystery. Through the use of archaeological survey methods, structural evidence beyond the extant buildings has been uncovered.

Recommended Citation

Kitchens, Arianna Faith, "Archaeological Investigations at Rowan Oak: Searching for Evidence of Antebellum Slavery" (2019). Honors Theses. 1182.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/1182

Accessibility Status

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