Research Training Program

Skye Chang
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, Hawaii

Douglas Owsley, Ph.D.
Supervising Scientist
Department of Anthropology

"Death is only the beginning."

Lost and Found: Forensic Analysis of an 1862 Cast Iron Coffin

Valuable information on the past, its people, and the societies they lived in can be obtained from archaeological contexts, among which human remains and burials provide a detailed source of information. The discovery and excavation of a cast iron coffin from the Civil War period comprises an exceptional opportunity to study relatively well-preserved human remains and associated artifacts. This research focuses on the compilation of historic data and information collected from the examination of a skeleton derived from a cast iron coffin. This coffin was excavated from Pulaski, Tennessee in 2002 during the relocation of a known historic family cemetery. The burial contained the only unmarked cast iron coffin, thus an investigation to reveal the identity of the individual was desired prior to its reburial. Historical documentation regarding the primary and secondary excavations, casket manufacture, and genealogical information were examined alongside textile and skeletal data in order to identify the remains as those of Isaac Newton Mason (1828-1862), a private in the 1st Tennessee Cavalry Regiment during the Civil War.

This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, Award Number DBI-02435123.

Letter of gratitude