Beer Garden, Catholic Hospital, and Indigenous Presence

Description

American mining boomtowns changed substantially over a short period of time, offering insights into site-specific changes alongside global industrial capitalism. The initial goal of this project was to explore St. Mary’s Hospital, which was situated within the convergence of religious and capitalist ideals in establishing much-needed health care in Virginia City, Nevada, a boomtown internationally recognized for its explosive wealth and technological innovations. The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent DePaul aligned their religious values of service with mining barons’ need for a healthy workforce. Common to historic-era sites, excavation revealed additional components, including the site’s earlier use as a beer garden and at least two periods of Indigenous presence. This volume is framed by a preface situating it within recent work on archaeologies of care and healthcare, archaeology of entertainment sites, and public archaeology involving descendant communities.