One Person's Trash is an Archaeologist's Treasure

Hello everyone, 

My name is Reid and I’m a senior anthropology major at Michigan State University, with a concentration in archaeology. I’m interested in historical archaeology in the United States between the 1850s and the 1950s, and I’m specifically interested in how the politics of memory affect the way our society does archaeology, conservation, and the presentation of information regarding sites that have experienced a genocide or other violent conflict. For me that means studying how the United States has processed the political conflicts before, during, and after the Civil War. I have also done field and lab work with MSU’s Campus Archaeology Program relating to 19th and 20th century trash on MSU campus. Through this work I’ve acquired a real fondness for trash and what it can tell us about people of the past. This study of trash, sometimes affectionately called “garbology”, is what this blog post is going to be about!

Most of you probably know in 2019 the FSJAP confirmed that part of the Fort St. Joseph site is situated under a 20th century landfill. This information was gleaned from the excavation of several 1 x 1 m units placed in two trenches that were dug by removing landfill items. In both Trenches 1 and 2, where the field school is excavating this summer, we have been working on clearing several centimeters of landfill debris in order to get to the 18th century occupation level. While the FSJAP isn’t focusing on this trash, I wanted to share a couple of artifacts that have been identified in the landfill deposits with everyone because I think that they’re deeply humanizing.

The first artifact is a Gravy Master bottle. Gravy Master was established in 1935 in the midst of the Great Depression by the Dryden & Palmer Rock Candy Company. It was conceived as a concentrated browning and flavoring agent that was affordable and easy to store-- important considerations during an era where most households were looking for a way to cut. Its popularity during WWII rationing was also a testament to the product’s ability to make difficult meals more palatable. Because Gravy Master contains no meat or meat byproducts, it was marketed to Catholics who had given up meat for Lent! The Gravy Master bottle found around 20 centimeters below the surface level in unit N18 E29 provides a little snapshot into a kitchen in Niles circa the 1930s/1940s.

The second artifact is a milk glass (opaque white glass) cosmetic jar that most likely dates from the second half of the 1930s or the early 1940s. During this time period milk glass jars were most commonly used for cosmetics like cold cream. A woman from Niles might have incorporated this jar into her daily skincare routine. This jar is a relic of quiet, domestic moments that are often not recorded in historical records. 

Here, archaeology, and specifically garbology, can provide a connection to the mundane, human history. Next time you’re in the bathroom look around at the containers for the different products you have on your sink, your counter, or in your cabinet. In a couple of decades someone might be as excited about your toothpaste tube as I am about this cosmetic jar and glass bottle. We all create history and archaeology every day, and I think that’s beautiful.

Works Cited

“Gravy Master Advertisement.” The Gallery of Graphic Design, gogd.tjs-labs.com/gallery-view.php?keyword=GRAVY. Accessed 16 July 2021.

“Gravy Master Lent Advertisement.” The Gallery of Graphic Design, gogd.tjs-labs.com/gallery-view.php?keyword=GRAVY. Accessed 16 July 2021.

“Our Pioneers.” Gravy Master, 2021, gravymaster.com/pages/about.