Material Culture

From the editor, Spring 2010. Those of us who live in the North often find ourselves becoming obsessed with Winter as we yearn for signs of Spring. This certainly applies to me. So I must say that it is purely coincidental that two thirds of the articles that appear in this issue are about places in the northern region of our continent. Craig Palmer takes us to the far North in his study of Newfoundland cultural symbols in Fort McMurray, Alberta. John Ward and Nancy Hultquist direct us to the Northwest in their study of rails and trails in Washington State. Then, we journey a little farther south with Ola Johansson in his exploration of entertainment districts in Nashville and Memphis.

The essay in this issue was written by Paul Marr. I heard Paul’s presentation on this topic at the annual Pioneer America Society Meeting in West Virginia, and I asked him if he could write a reflective essay on the process of trying to locate a fort that no longer exists. Often when we read published manuscripts, we are reading “results” of a study, with little space allotted to process. In my opinion, there is not nearly enough written about the challenges and rewards of the fieldwork process, especially as the process involves the public, the government, students, and other special interest organizations. I want to thank Paul for sharing his story with us.

Before I close, I would like to thank Jodi Radloff, the undergraduate student at SVSU that has served as my Copy Editor this academic year. Her attention to detail is an inspiration to me always!

I hope that by the time this issue arrives in your mailboxes that Spring is well on its way.

Sincerely,

Sara Beth Keough, Ph.D., Editor, Material Culture

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Submissions

Material Culture encourages submissionsfrom scholars for publication from across the disciplines. Any topic that encompasses some aspect of material culture, vernacular / contemporary / pop culture landscapes or extant artifacts is relevant to this Journal. Authors, as well, can be from the corporate, government, independent, non-profit or educational sectors. Manuscripts are peer reviewed and the Editor will make grammatical corrections only, as stated in the style sheet. Any suggestions or corrections that deal with content or significantly alter the style or thesis of the manuscript will be returned to the author for their consideration.

Manuscripts and submissions should be submitted directly to the Editor via email as attachments. Photos and illustrations should be submitted electronically as .jpeg attachments.

The guidelines for formatting manuscript and book reviews, style sheets and editorial philosophy can be found here. Other inquiries should be addressed to the Editor, including copyright permission, reprints, letters to the Editor and advertising copy. Any unused materials will be returned to the sender per their request. Additional questions should be addressed to the Editor: Sara Beth Keough, Ph.D., (989) 964-2195, sbkeough@svsu.edu.

Material Culture is printed two times a year for members of PAS:APAL. You may download a PDF of the contents of the current issue here. PAS:APAL members may view the entire issue as a PDF here. Abstracts of the current issue‘s feature articles follow:

License Plates, Flags and Social Support Networks: The Symbolic Cultural Landscape of the Newfoundland Diaspora in Ft. McMurray, Alberta

By Craig T. Palmer, Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri

The past several decades have seen thousands of people from Newfoundland migrate, for varying lengths of time, to Fort McMurray, Alberta to work in the oil sands industry and related businesses. Participants in such labor migrations often use material culture as visual signals of their identity to potentially help create networks of supportive relationships with other members of the diaspora, and previous fieldwork suggested that some of the displays of Newfoundland symbols by Newfoundlanders living in Alberta were consistent with this social support hypothesis. To help determine the extent to which material culture symbolizing Newfoundland is used in this way, this paper presents the results of a survey of Ft. McMurray public spaces conducted during the summer of 2009 to see if the use and distribution of material culture symbolizing Newfoundland identity appeared to be consistent with this hypothesis. This survey observed and recorded the location, symbol and context of 185 items of material culture containing a symbol of Newfoundland. The results indicate that most, but not all, of the objects of material culture symbolizing Newfoundland identity publicly visible on the cultural landscape of Fort McMurray appear to be displayed in a way that is consistent with the social support hypothesis. The results are discussed within the context of earlier fieldwork in Newfoundland and Alberta on both the labor migration and the meaning of Newfoundland symbols.

The John Wayne Pioneer Trail in Washington State: Rails-to-trails to … Rails and Trails?

By John Ward, Department of Geography,University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and Nancy Hultquist, Department of Geography, Central Washington University

Rail trails are well regarded for providing recreation, transportation, greenspace, and economic opportunities to local communities. However, one aspect that is sometimes overlooked is their value in terms of connecting a community to natural history and material culture. Because most rail trails are technically being utilized for recreation on an interim basis, the potential for a rail trail corridor to return to rail usage also means the potential for both the recreational opportunities and the community connection to the natural history and material culture of the corridor to be lost. This research examines the conversion of the Milwaukee Road in Washington State from a railroad corridor to a non-motorized recreational trail and evaluates the feasibility of establishing an alternate route for non-motorized recreation in the event that railroad usage returns to the corridor. This study utilized both field reconnaissance and Geographic Information System technologies in its methodology. The results show that opportunities do exist for an alternate route, primarily on public lands. The model developed in this research emphasizes the incorporation of connections with both natural history and material culture. The model can be utilized in other situations where rails-to-trails projects are reverting to rail usage and alternative routes are desired.

Form, Function, and the Making of Music-themed Entertainment Districts in Nashville and Memphis

By Ola Johansson, Department of Geography, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

Nashville and Memphis have proceeded along similar paths in creating downtown entertainment districts. During this process, the historic built environment in both places has been transformed (and partly preserved) and themed around its musical heritage. Country music and blues, which are fundamentally non-material cultures, have “materialized” in the urban landscape. This article analyzes the processes by which the districts developed, and their emerging form and function. Land use in Memphis’ Beale Street is tightly controlled, as the city owns all properties and uses a private real estate company to manage the district. A more complex, organic process occurred in Nashville’s Second Avenue/lower Broadway, where the decisions of multiple actors created an entertainment district. The differences in the built environment mean that the districts’ form differs, yet they also exhibit strong similarities. The function of the two districts, as measured by the mix of commercial establishments, shows remarkable resemblance despite the fundamental differences in how they were created.

In Search of Fort Morris

By Paul Marr, Department of Geography-Earth Science, Shippensburg University

On July 31, 1755 following the defeat of General Braddock’s army at the opening of the French and Indian war, Governor Robert Morris commissioned the construction of two stockade forts, one in Carlisle and one in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Constructed under the guidance of Colonel William Burd, Shippensburg’s Fort Morris was one of a line of frontier defenses erected to protect local settlers and garrison provincial troops. For over 100 years local historians have debated the location of Shippensburg’s small fort. Using extant documents, a site for the fort was proposed and investigated in 2008-09. This essay will relate my experiences in how a small academic project blossomed into a project embraced by the entire community, eventually leading to a full-scale archaeological excavation of the site.