Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-25-2021
Department
Biological Sciences
School
Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences
Abstract
Dendroarchaeology is under-represented in the Gulf Coastal Plain region of the United States (US), and at present, only three published studies have precision dated a collection of 18th–19th-century structures. In this study, we examined the tree-ring data from pine, poplar, and oak timbers used in the Walker House in Tupelo, Mississippi. The Walker House was constructed ca. the mid-1800s with timbers that appeared to be recycled from previous structures. In total, we examined 30 samples (16 pines, 8 oaks, and 6 poplars) from the attic and crawlspace. We cross-dated latewood ring growth from the attic pine samples to the period 1541–1734 (r = 0.52, t = 8.43, p < 0.0001) using a 514-year longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) latewood reference chronology from southern Mississippi. The crawlspace oak samples produced a 57-year chronology that we dated against a white oak (Quercus alba L.) reference chronology from northeast Alabama to the period 1765–1822 (r = 0.36, t = 2.83, p < 0.01). We were unable to cross-date the six poplar samples due to a lack of poplar reference chronologies in the region. Our findings have two important implications: (1) the pine material dated to 1734 represents the oldest dendroarchaeology-confirmed dating match for construction materials in the southeastern US, and (2) cross-dating latewood growth for southeastern US pine species produced statistically significant results, whereas total ring width failed to produce significant dating results.
Publication Title
Forests
Volume
12
Issue
6
Recommended Citation
Patterson, T. W.,
Harley, G. L.,
Holt, D. H.,
Doherty, R. T.,
King, D. J.,
Heeter, K. J.,
Chavez, A. L.,
Crowell, A. C.,
Stewart, I. M.
(2021). Latewood Ring Width Reveals CE 1734 Felling Dates for Walker House Timbers In Tupelo, Mississippi, USA. Forests, 12(6).
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/18475