Connecting with the Ancestors: Archaeology at Oxmoor Planation, Louisville, Kentucky

Come and learn what Kentucky Archaeological Survey (KAS) archaeologists have been doing at Oxmoor Farm in Louisville, Kentucky for the last year and a half.  In 2021, the Oxmoor Farm Foundation hired KAS to conduct a survey around extant buildings that once served as dwellings for enslaved people in the early 19^th century and as dwellings for farm workers post-bellum and into the 20^th century.  Oxmoor plans to create museum space to commemorate the lives of the enslaved African Americans and to tell their stories, both separate and intertwined with the Bullitt family, who owned the plantation.  The survey found intact archaeological deposits around the extant buildings and investigations extended into the interior of the buildings.  The work thus far has generated thousands of artifacts and new lines of research involving the enslaved people at Oxmoor.  This discussion will describe the work to date and present some of the findings and artifacts discovered, as well as efforts to connect with descendants of the people enslaved at Oxmoor.

Lori Stalgren received her B.A. in Photojournalism from Western Kentucky University in 1990, a Law Degree from the University of Louisville in 1993, and a M.A. in Anthropology from Northern Arizona University in 1999. She specializes in historical archaeology and is particularly interested in the archaeology of plantations and slavery and public archaeology. She has previously worked at the Kentucky Heritage Council as the Archaeology Review Coordinator for Section 106 projects in the state of Kentucky. She is also interested in historic preservation issues and serves on the Louisville Metro Landmarks Commission.