Historical Archaeology At The Berachah Rescue Home: A Holistic Approach And Analysis Of An Industrial Homestead In Arlington, Texas

Abstract

Excavations at the historic Berachah Rescue Home in Arlington, Texas were undertaken as part of the 2003 and 2004 University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) Archaeological Field Schools. The excavations explored several features surrounding the Berachah Rescue Home Cemetery on UTA property. The site was heavily disturbed by bulldozing activities and the expansion of surrounding neighborhoods and UTA. The conjunctive approach, as described by Walter Taylor (1983), for analysis of historic archaeological sites was utilized to understand the fullest cultural context of Berachah Rescue Home. Three components, archival research, oral histories, and archaeological data, were examined to reconstruct this historic site. Through the analysis of these three components, a reconstruction of daily life, identification of facility buildings, a chronology, and identification of properties associated with the facility, and a better understanding of the innovative work conducted by Reverend Upchurch and his family at the facility were obtained.