A MICROSCOPIC USEWEAR ANALYSIS OF GLASS FRAGMENTS RECOVERED FROM THE LEVI JORDAN PLANTATION, BRAZORIA COUNTY, TEXAS

The Levi Jordan Plantation Quarters Area was occupied by enslaved people and later tenant farmers and sharecroppers between approximately 1848 and 1887. Glass fragments recovered from three cabins were selected as a sample and observed microscopically for evidence of use as tools, focusing on striation and microfracture as usewear evidence. Observations were compared with previous research and an experimental set constructed for this study for identification. The purpose of the analysis is to determine if glass tool were employed by members of the Quarters Area community and to compare any evidence of use found with previous interpretations of activities within two cabins and propose an activity or activities taking place in the third. Findings are limited, but glass tools were identified, and observed usewear supports previous interpretations. No glass tools were identified in the third cabin, so no activities could be proposed for the location.