Little Luxuries: The Workers’ Personal Items

While most of the artifacts found, such as ceramics, glass, bone, and architectural material were used communally by the workers, there were also artifacts found that were more personal and can give an insight into everyday life and the little downtime that workers were able to get.The highest concentration of personal artifacts came from the Mechanics’ Quarters, followed by the Mechanics’ Kitchen, and then the Laborers’ Quarters. This can be explained by the social differences seen archeologically between mechanics and laborers. Mechanics had access to more personal materials and possibly more leisure time to use those objects. The laborers may have had fewer privileges.

 

Harmonica reed plate fragments found at the Mechanics' Quarter.

NPS/Seifert

Reed plate fragments from a harmonica were found in the Mechanics’ Quarter. Since harmonicas were portable and cheap, they were accessible to almost all members of society. They provided a bit of music and entertainment that may have made the long and hard hours working a bit more bearable.

 

Slate pencil found at the Laborers' Quarter.

NPS/Seifert

The top of a slate pencil was found in the Laborers’ Quarter. This is evidence that the inhabitants were literate and therefore more likely white laborers rather than enslaved workers. Although it is not impossible that the pencil could have been used by enslaved laborers, it was illegal to teach an enslaved person to read or write. Anti-literacy laws were first passed in Georgia in 1829. Students used slate pencils along with a slate writing board to learn to write and read. Outside classrooms, industry workers used slate pencils to track goods, and sailors used them to calculate locations.

 

 

Eight identical rivets were found in the same level of an excavation unit in the Mechanics’ Kitchen. There was some type of material trapped in the grooves of some of them, possibly leather. These were likely from a leather fire bucket or leather fire hose. Both would be important to have in a kitchen where there is open fire.

NPS/Matera

 

NPS/Matera

This circular bone object was found in the Mechanics’ Quarter. It appears that part of it has broken off. There are some possibilities about what this object is. It could be part of an umbrella, specifically the top notch or the cap. Another possibility is that it is part of a game piece, such as for chess or checkers.

 

Pieces from a personal trunk were found, which would have been the easiest way to bring personal belongings to Cockspur Island. It would have also provided a small bit of privacy and security that was limited in the shared living spaces. Clockwise from top left is an escutcheon (or hardware surrounding a lock), a partial hinge, and the binding or trimming along the trunk's edge.

 

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