The joy was infectious. “Happy Juneteenth” we shouted to the trucks and people parading by Fred Moore Park in Denton Texas. Our archaeology team, as part of the Bolivar Archaeological Project (BAP), had set up an artifact display and blacksmithing exhibit to share the story of Tom Cook, an African American freedman, who owned a blacksmith shop along the Chisholm Trail during the late 19^th century. Joining us was the great-great grandson of Tom Cook, Howard Clark, who joined the project from the beginning of fieldwork and has become an active participant, co-laboring as part of the archaeological team. The BAP is a Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)-sponsored collaborative and multidisciplinary project dedicated to incorporating descendant communities and local stakeholders into the fabric of the research design and planning for a state infrastructure project. Contracted as TxDOT’s technical expert, Stantec has the lead role in carrying out research and coordinating with stakeholders – descendants, local residents and related practitioners, such as professional blacksmiths – along with integral assistance from oral history consultant, Dr. Maria Franklin, a leading researcher in African Diaspora studies and collaborative archaeology.

Juneteenth marks the day when in 1865 enslaved people in Texas received the news of their emancipation. In 2021, June 19^th was officially recognized as a federal holiday to celebrate the important first step toward Black freedom, equality and full citizenship in the United States, a journey that continues through the present.

We asked Howard, what Juneteenth means to him. He emphasized the importance to remember and celebrate – to acknowledge what happened; that people received the news, and it was a good thing. It was the beginning of something else; one thing ended, another thing started. At the same time, recognizing different historical experiences, Howard emphasizes empathy, from imagining those who lived through it to being aware of on-going struggles and lifting every voice. Clark underscored how Black history is not reducible to slavery: “Slavery’s not where we started. That’s something we came through, we lived through.”

The story of Tom Cook has been at the margins of history for too long. The BAP is dedicated to amplifying this “undertold story” and the Texas Historical Commission recently approved the Tom Cook Blacksmith Shop site for an Official Texas Historical Marker specially designated as an “Undertold Marker.” Even though Tom Cook’s life may be distant, his story and life still resonate today. Through the years, Cook became an expert in the challenging craft of blacksmithing and a leading community member, building a strong social web and business where he and his family thrived, despite living in a world that often viewed them as “less than.”  Cook served as a Methodist minister and a Prince Hall Freemason, and he raised a family whose descendants continue to be pillars of the local community. Indeed, the on-going legacy of Tom Cook can be found across the region, as he influenced Fred Moore an educator for whom the local park is named. Howard also learned about the life of Tom Cook while handling the blacksmith tools that likely passed through his ancestors’ hands. And, during fieldwork, Howard visited Tom’s grave site, which he was not aware of before joining the project. These events are recounted in the article “Finding Tom Cook” in the magazine Texas Heritage (Vol. 2, 2021). Reflecting on the importance of teaching and learning history, Howard affirmed, “history hasn’t stopped. There’s a whole truth out there.”

Join us in this journey of discovery and learn more about the Bolivar project on TxDOT’s webpage – Bolivar: The Once Wild West and read the article in Advances in Archaeological Practice.

At the Intersections of History: Collaborative, Public Archaeology of the Nineteenth-Century Tom Cook Blacksmith Shop along the Chisholm Trail in Bolivar, Texas by Alexander Menaker, William Howard Clark, Douglas K. Boyd, Maria Franklin, Halee Clark Wright and Kevin Hanselka