Archaeological Investigations at the Carmichael Inn Site: Testing a Model for Cultural Patterning of the Rural Nineteenth Century Inn in the Ridge and Valley of Tennessee

Cultural patterning in the archaeological context has been studied at a number of historic sites in the southeast United States. Patterns associated with ethnicity, socioeconomic level and type of activity have been investigated. This work proposed a cultural pattern associated with the rural nineteenth century inn in the Ridge and Valley of Tennessee. The research tested a model for such inn sites which might differentiate them from purely residential sites of the the same time period in the area.

Archaeological investigations were conducted at the Carmichael Inn site in Loudon County, Tennessee. This site was formerly the location of a stagecoach stop and inn as well as a residence during the early to mid-nineteenth century. Data obtained was compared with that from other sites, both residential and inn sites, in the Ridge and Valley of Tennessee. The data from the Carmichael Inn site do not strongly support the proposed model. It is thought that the Carmichael Inn was not a formal establishment, but was operated on a more casual level, and that inn-related activities which occurred there did not impact the archaeological record in such a way as to significantly differentiate it from purely residential sites of the same time period, area and socioeconomic level.