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People like to decorate themselves. This can be in the form of earrings, necklaces, tattoos, wrist watches, or with clothing choices and personalized phone cases. These decorative elements can be religious, such as necklaces with crucifixes, or they can be meaningful in other ways, such as in elevating a person’s mood or displaying wealth. The same desire to decorate meaningfully was present in people in the past. It was a way to distinguish oneself and show social status. In the archeological record, some of the most common decorative and personalized objects are beads and buttons.
NPS/Seifert BeadsExcavations in the Workers’ Village uncovered nine glass beads. All the beads are the same style and size, with a few variations in color. They were most likely made in Venice or the modern-day Czech Republic. They are all faceted, meaning their round sides were sanded down flat, leaving a total of 18 flat surfaces. There are variations in the shape of the facets, indicating that each bead was shaped by hand. Seven of the beads are almost completely opaque but have a slight iridescence that gives off purple, blue, and greenish hues. The iridescence is due to patina on the glass, or a flaking layer on glass that comes from time and age.It is most likely that a woman (or women) lost the beads. While we can never completely rule out that men wore decorative beading, men’s clothing and what little jewelry men wore was typically plain and stuck to a rigid code of pants, shirt, vest, and coat. Colorful, sparkly beading on a man’s clothing would very much mark that man as different and feminine within a very masculine space such as the Workers’ Village. The beads’ similarity could mean that they all belonged to the same object. The beads could have belonged to African American cooks that lived in the laborers’ quarters but cooked for the mechanics. This would explain the presence and similarity of beads in the laborers’ quarters and in the mechanics’ kitchen area. Scholarship on the use of beads in African American culture has found that beads, especially blue beads, are believed to hold protective powers over those who wear them. Blue beads are often found on archeology sites where African Americans were present and can be evidence of African American women active on the site. 
NPS/Seifert ButtonsButtons were practical clothing closures, but they could also be decorative. Archeologists found bone, shell, metal, and ceramic buttons. Almost all the buttons found in the Workers’ Village are plain. A few shell buttons display very simple patterns, but none could be described as overly decorative or fashionable. It is likely they would have been used on undergarments, work clothing, or furniture such as pillowcases or drapes. The size of buttons can help in identifying what they might have been used for. From this data, we determined the Workers’ Village buttons came from underwear, waistcoats, trousers, shirts, and coats and jackets. Most of the buttons would have been on men’s work clothing. This is likely because the people in the Workers’ Village were nearly always working! They would have had very little time away from work to wear fancier clothing and more decorative items.
NPS/Matera Military ButtonsOnly three metal military buttons were found during excavation. All were very corroded and difficult to identify. After cleaning in the lab, it appears that two are pre-Civil War General Service buttons, most likely dating from 1854-1860, based on the federal eagle design and back stamps. The third is a larger flat button with a slightly different eagle design. It is similar to U.S. Navy uniform buttons from the 1820s-1830. Due to the corrosion, the whole button could not be examined for a definite identification. The small number of military buttons found indicates that the area was used for and by civilians with limited military presence.Women on Cockspur IslandThe most extensive excavations took place in the mechanics’ kitchen and consequently most of the artifacts were recovered there, including most of the beads and buttons. The presence of beads and other fashionable artifacts, like a cloak clasp, is strong archeological evidence of women at the Workers’ Village. At the time, only women would have used such beads and other accessories to decorate clothing or jewelry. Beads and buttons are likely to fall off clothing as it is scrubbed, meaning that the high number of buttons and beads found in the kitchen points toward the area also being used as a laundry.Kitchens could double as laundries due to their ready supply of hot water, which was necessary to kill lice and disinfect work clothing. The Mechanics’ Kitchen, which is located next to two cisterns, would have been a practical location for this activity. Although the historical record does not say exactly where on Cockspur Island the laundresses worked, archeology has provided evidence for laundry being done in the mechanics’ kitchen area. Beginning in 1802, the Army authorized the use of laundresses in military settings. Laundress was one of the few jobs available for women outside of the household in the mid-1800s. There would have been laundresses at Fort Pulaski throughout most of its active military years, possibly also during its construction years. The title of army laundress held an important social status, being only offered to women of “good character” and trustworthiness. Wives or family members of non-commissioned officers and soldiers often held this role. As disease and sickness ran rampant on military sites, laundresses held an important role in keeping soldiers and other personnel as clean as possible. In 1870, there were six laundresses at Fort Pulaski, and at least five were wives or sisters of enlisted men or non-commissioned officers. 
NPS/Seifert
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Last updated: February 12, 2024