Davis Bottom

Summary

Davis Bottom is a residential urban neighborhood in a low-lying area west of downtown Lexington, Kentucky. Established in the 1860s, Davis Bottom served as a “portal” community for several generations of African American, European, and Appalachian families who moved to Lexington in search of jobs, education, and a better life. Construction of a new road – the Newtown Pike Extension - destroyed large portions of the neighborhood. This resulted in a collaboration among scholars, educators, and residents to document and preserve the history of this tight-knit, working-class community. The archaeological work was carried out in 2003 by Cultural Resource Analysts.

An archaeologist describes the stratigraphy (soil layers) within a mid-1900s privy.

Findings

Among the deposits investigated by the archaeologists were two early to mid-twentieth-century privies. Both were behind shotgun homes on DeRoode Street. One was lined with wood and the other, with slate. Based on the types of artifacts recovered, researchers determined that the privies were primarily used for night soil during the 1920s and 1930s, and for trash disposal in the 1940s. Both were sealed in the 1950s.

Fork, spoon, and personal items - beads and buttons.

Green glass wine bottle (left) and glass medicinal bottles.

What's Cool?

Educational Materials

In addition to archaeological research, four integrated educational components were produced as part of the Davis Bottom History Preservation Project, which received the Award for Excellence in Public Education by the Society for American Archaeology in 2018: 1) "Davis Bottom: Rare History, Valuable Lives," a one-hour, award-winning documentary film distributed by Kentucky Educational Television (KET); 2) a companion website; 3) "Investigating a Shotgun House," a curriculum unit in Project Archaeology's Investigating Shelter series; and 4) "Teaching Through Documentary Art," lessons linked to two murals created to fill visual voids in the documentary.

The video and companion website provide an overview of the history of Davis Bottom as told through archaeology, history, architecture, and the living memories of neighborhood residents.

In the "Investigating a Shotgun House” curriculum, students use geography, history, and archaeological work carried out at Davis Bottom to learn about a Kentucky shotgun house and the people who lived in it.

"Teaching Through Documentary Art" offers innovative lessons for elementary and middle school social studies teachers to engage their students in social studies while strengthening their visual, literacy, and analytical thinking skills.