The Galt Family at the Augusta Arsenal: Intersectionality, Motherhood, and Childhood in the Antebellum Period of the American South

Abstract

Between 1826 and 1955, the Augusta Arsenal operated on land currently occupied by the Summerville Campus of Augusta University. As a military site, it is often conceptualized as male gendered and war-centric social space. However, most of the artifacts recovered from the Arsenal directly address domestic activities and the presence of the wives and children of the officers and other personnel stationed there. This investigation contextualizes the hidden history of women and children at the Augusta Arsenal during the 19th century through the intersections of age, gender, and religion in the often-contested relationships between mothers and children.