Abstract
Excavations at the Orange Valley hospital for the enslaved in Trelawny Parish, Jamaica, have revealed rich deposits of early nineteenth-century artifacts. These artifacts, when analyzed in conjunction with the building itself, surviving documents, and the broader landscape in which it stands, speak to the lives of enslaved people of African descent during the period of amelioration. Archaeology is beginning to reveal how plantation hospitals were employed to perpetuate the institution of slavery; while also illuminating how the enslaved patients and workers in the hospital were able to create meaningful lives and identities, that reflected their own traditions, despite the brutal drudgery of sugar production.
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Acknowledgments
This project was made possible by the energy and enthusiasm of co-author Nicky Kelly, a proud Jamaican, who wanted to write her MA thesis on Jamaican plantation hospitals. She laid the groundwork for three years of successful field projects and we, her co-authors, are in her debt. Alec and Jacqui Henderson, and Jacqui’s sister Kathereine Breakspear, welcomed us to their property and provided outstanding support for our archaeological fieldwork. The skilled staff of the Jamaican National Heritage Trust, notably Selvenious Walters and Kadene Campbell helped us negotiate the complicated process of overseas fieldwork. Experienced Jamaican archaeologists and architectural historians Zachary Beier, Ke Vaughn Harding, Hayden Bassett, James Delle, Emilie Johnson, and Matthew Reeves provided helpful advice about our project. James Robertson provided valuable comparative information about the nearby Good Hope Estate. Adam Heinrich prepared the digital reconstruction of the Orange Valley Slave Hospital. Joe Grabas and Ashley Parker documented the Orange Valley ledger. Tim Dinsmore and Stephanie Codling documented the artifact assemblage. We are grateful to Stacey L. Camp, Jodi A. Barnes, and Sarah Surface-Evans for organizing this volume and for their comments. We also appreciate the comments of Linnea Kuglitsch, Laura Wilkie, and an anonymous reviewer. A special thanks to Roy and Bunny for their hard work clearing the ruins of the Orange Valley great house and their offer of traditional medicines.
The authors certify that they are unaware of any conflicts of interest or competing interests in their preparation of this article. No grant funding was employed in preparing this research.
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Veit, R.F., Kelly, N., McHugh, S. et al. “Not Unmindful of the Unfortunate”: Finding the Forgotten through Archaeology at the Orange Valley Hospital for the Enslaved. Int J Histor Archaeol 27, 51–80 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-022-00652-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-022-00652-9