A 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Recovered from a Privy in St. Louis, Missouri

According to the archaeology report, 'Below the Surface: Excavation of the Walsh's Row Site, St. Louis City, Missouri,' "In 2004, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) historic preservation staff conducted an archaeological survey of a section of downtown St. Louis, Missouri, bounded in part by Interstate 64, Cerre Street, Sixth Street, and Fourth Street. The survey identified one archaeological site: the Walsh's Row Site, a mid-nineteenth to twentieth-century row house (a row of houses joined by a common sidewall).

MoDOT and the Federal Highway Administration, in consultation with the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office, determined that the Walsh's Row Site is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and that construction of new ramps along Interstate 64 would adversely affect the site.

The bulk of the ceramic collection from this site appears to have been imported European wares, although, coarse red earthenware is perhaps the oldest type of ceramic represented in the archaeology collection. The domestic red earthenware artifacts recovered from the site include a complete jar and fragments of a jar lid with a knob (Note: the lid may have gone to the complete jar). The red earthenware items recovered also appear mostly related to food storage, rather than preparation or service."

This red earthenware jar was recovered from a privy within a mid-to-late nineteenth-century archaeological context - it may not be the most exciting object in terms of form and glaze, but it does represent a type of red earthenware that was available in St. Louis, Missouri in the 1800s. I also assume that this is a Midwestern produced object that could have been made in Missouri after 1840. Interestingly, a similar form was also produced in Ontario in the late-nineteenth century.

Note: Here is a link to the complete archaeology report that was published by the Missouri Department of Transportation in 2008.
Walsh's Row, St. Louis, MO

Walsh's Row, St. Louis, MO

Circa 1910

Photo Courtesy: Missouri Department of Transportation

Jar Recovered in St. Louis, MO

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Recovered from a Privy on Walsh's Row in St. Louis, MO

Possibly Manufactured in Missouri

Circa 1840-1880

Photo Courtesy: Missouri Department of Transportation

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