PUT WHAT(?) IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT: A METHODICAL APPROACH TO THE SMOKING CULTURE OF A NINETEENTH CENTURY PLANTATION IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

Holly Bend, a prolific and successful late 18th and early 19th century plantation owned by the Davidson family in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina has seen multiple excavations and research projects over the past several years. In this project, I analyze a collection of ceramic tobacco pipe fragments that have been excavated from the site to better understand the local smoking culture. Several methods are used, including X-ray fluorescence spectrometer analysis to examine the sources of the ceramics, residue analysis to identify plant material smoked in the pipes, and a pipe typology to aid in identification. The residue analysis is a new source of information for historical archaeology in the South and gives insights into smoking culture and plantation life in North Carolina.