Gender Negotiation on the East Tennessee Frontier: An Example from the Bell Site

Archaeological investigations involving questions of gender have become more prominent in recent years. Material recovered from the Bell Site (40KN202), the remains of an 18^th-century log house in Knoxville, Tennessee is examined to determine the role of women on the East Tennessee frontier. Historical information concerning social structuring of gender roles in the 18^th and 19^th century America is examined to determine the social factors involved in gender construction, and the impact these factors may have had on women living on the East Tennessee frontier. This documentary data is then compared with artifacts excavated at 40KN202. The role of women at the site may be seen by dividing material culture into “masculine” and “feminine” categories, allowing the investigator to better recognize women’s presence in the archaeological record. This information is compared with other contemporary East Tennessee frontier sites to locate the occupants of the Bell Site within the social fabric in which they lived. The conclusion of this research indicate that women’s role on the Appalachian frontier has been long ignored. Contrary to popular 18^th and 19^th-century notions of femininity, women on the frontier strove to negotiate strict social dictates of feminine behavior while surviving on the unpredictable frontier.