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Journal article
The Mysteries of the Caro Plaque: Serendipity and the Art of Interdisciplinary Research on Historical Cemeteries
The Mississippi quarterly, Vol.78(2), pp.239-262
04/01/2026
Abstract
This essay traces the intertwined histories of two markers for the same person in St. Michael’s Cemetery in Pensacola, Florida, where an anomalous plaque and rediscovered archives sparked a broader inquiry into memory, materiality, and power. Interdisciplinary efforts to reconstruct the markers’ shifting histories illuminate how commemorative objects can become entangled in legal conflict and historical meaning-making. Even when definitive resolution remains elusive, the essay argues the very process of grappling with the fragmentary past through interdisciplinary inquiry and serendipitous research can yield valuable insights into identity, power, and memory through the material culture of death and commemoration.
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Details
- Title
- The Mysteries of the Caro Plaque
- Publication Details
- The Mississippi quarterly, Vol.78(2), pp.239-262
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Copyright
- © 2026 Mississippi State University
- Identifiers
- 99381806754106600
- Academic Unit
- College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities; Archaeology Institute
- Language
- English