Field School in Historical Archaeology Focuses on Local African American History

This summer the Department of Anthropology will offer a field school located in the nearby town of Buda (about 15 miles south of Austin). The research will focus on the archaeology of formerly enslaved African Americans, or “freedmen”, and their descendants. In the late 1860s, freedmen founded an all-black settlement in Buda that they named Antioch Colony, which still exists today. The site’s earliest settlers were families who purchased land adjacent to one another, and most of these households made their living as farmers. During the 1870s, the colonists built a church and school, and established a cemetery. Over the years, Antioch Colony’s close-knit community was successful in educating its children, strengthening social networks through marriage and church, and living off the land. There are still descendants of the original settlers living in Antioch Colony, and in 2011 the Texas Historical Commission acknowledged the significance of the community and its heritage by granting Antioch a Texas Historical Marker.

The 2016 summer field school (June 2 to July 7) will focus on the survey and excavation of the remains of a house once occupied by Kate Friend Bunton (b. 1872, d. 1954) and its associated trash midden. Students will be instructed in basic field and lab methods, and will learn about local African American history.

For more information about this field school, please email Dr. Franklin at mfranklin@austin.utexas.edu. Students must provide their own transportation to and from the site. (Note: in the past, students have carpooled to the site, so this may be an option.)

An information session will be held on Monday, April 4, from noon-1pm in SAC 4.120.

*Please note that if you already have credit for ANT 662, it may be repeated for credit on the pass/fail basis only.

Maria Franklin

Associate Professor

Graduate Advisor

Department of Anthropology 

Courtesy Appointment, Department of African and African Diaspora Studies (AADS)

Affiliated, Warfield Center of African and African American Studies (CAAAS)