Presentation: Privies as Portals: An Analysis of Ceramics at a Late 19th Century Household Privy in Ellenton, Florida

Winter Park, FL – March 16, 2020 - The Central Florida Anthropological Society (CFAS) is pleased to announce a presentation on Privies as Portals: An Analysis of Ceramics at a Late 19th Century Household Privy in Ellenton, Florida by Ms. Shana Boyer. The presentation will be held March 16, 2020, 7:00 pm, at the Winter Park Public Library, 460 E. New England Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789. This is a free public program. About the Presentation The Gamble Plantation, located in modern day Ellenton Florida, was established as a sugar plantation in 1844, with diverse owners and occupants, until its purchase and donation to the state in 1925. Excavations in 2018 identified a privy located just behind the kitchen of the mansion on the estate, dating to the late 19th – early 20th century, when Ellenton remained a small frontier town. This presentation presents preliminary results of the analysis of ceramics from this feature, illuminating the everyday lives of people who called this land home. The materials offer insight into trade and consumption in Victorian Florida. Not just a clogged toilet, this privy feature offers an insight into socioeconomic status, household size, and can be key in marking shifts in time. About the Speaker Ms. Boyer is a second-year MA student in the Applied Anthropology department at the University of South Florida on the archaeology track. She works with Dr. Diane Wallman on analyzing artifacts found at the Gamble Plantation site in Ellenton, FL; specifically focusing on botanical remains and ceramic analysis of items found in a privy feature. She’s hoping to graduate in the Fall of 2020, after which she would like to go into teaching and hopefully inspire students like her.