Living on the Boott

STEPHEN A. MROZOWSKI is Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he is also the founding director of the Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research. A specialist in historical archaeology, urban archaeology, and the archaeology of capitalism and colonialism, Mrozowski has led major research projects across New England and beyond. His work at the Boott Mills boardinghouses was among his earliest and most influential contributions to the study of industrial-era working-class life.

GRACE H. ZIESING is a historical archaeologist with a Master's degree in Archaeology from Boston University and more than twelve years of professional experience in historical archaeology and cultural resources management. A member of the Society of Professional Archaeologists (SOPA) and a contributor to the technical literature of the Society for Historical Archaeology, she has worked on significant CRM projects across New England and California.

MARY C. BEAUDRY (November 25, 1950 - October 20, 2020) was one of the most influential historical archaeologists of her generation. Professor of Archaeology, Anthropology, and Gastronomy at Boston University from 1980 until her death in 2020, she was a foundational scholar whose research encompassed historical and industrial archaeology, material culture studies, household archaeology, gender, and the anthropology of food. Remembered by colleagues for her dedication to "unveiling unwritten lives," Beaudry was cited more than 5,500 times across the scholarly literature and trained generations of historical archaeologists. Her work at Lowell represents one of the most celebrated chapters of her career.