Dessamae Hart Lorrain (July 25, 1927 – July 23, 2011) was an American archaeologist. She was a staff archaeologist at

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

's Anthropology Research Center. Most of her projects involved salvage work, excavating Texas historic sites ahead of major construction in the 1960s and 1970s.

Early life and education

Dessie Mae Hart was born in

Elkhart, Indiana Elkhart ( ) is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The population was 53,923 at the 2020 census. The city is located east of South Bend, Indiana. It is the most populous city in the Elkhart–Goshen metropolitan area, which in tu ...

, the daughter of R. E. Hart and Crystal Edessa Young Hart. She attended

Newcomb College H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College was the coordinate women's college of Tulane University, located in New Orleans, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded by Josephine Louise Newcomb in 1886 in memory of her daughter. Newcomb was the ...

, and graduated from

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

with a degree in physics. She pursued graduate studies in archaeology at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

Career

Lorrain was a staff archaeologist at

's Anthropology Research Center, and a member of the Texas Archaeological Salvage Project. She investigated sites in Texas which were about to be disrupted or destroyed by highway or reservoir construction in the 1960s. For example, the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

supported her work at prehistoric sites in

Cooke County Cooke County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. At the 2020 census, its population was 41,668. The county seat is Gainesville. The county was founded in 1848 and organized the next year. It is named for William Gordon Cooke, a soldier ...

, before they were flooded to create Hubert H. Moss Lake in 1966. In 1965, she directed the Texas Archeological Society's fourth annual field school. She spoke at the annual meeting of the

Society for Historical Archaeology The Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) is a professional organization of scholars concerned with the archaeology of the modern world (15th century-present). Founded in 1967, the SHA promotes scholarly research and the dissemination of knowledg ...

, held in

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

in 1968. In the 1970s, she led an excavation at Fort Richardson in

Jacksboro, Texas Jacksboro is a city in Jack County, Texas, in the United States. Its population was 4,184 at the 2020 census. U.S. Highways 281 and 380, and Texas State Highways 114 and 199 intersect at Jacksboro, which is the county seat of Jack County. ...

. She was also chief field archaeologist at

Fort Griffin Fort Griffin, now a Texas state historic site as Fort Griffin State Historic Site, was a US Cavalry fort established 31 July 1867 by four companies of the Sixth Cavalry, U.S. ArmyCarter, R.G., ''On the Border with Mackenzie'', 1935, Washingto ...

Shackelford County Shackelford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,105. Its county seat is Albany. The county was created in 1858 and later organized in 1874. Shackelford is named for Dr. Jack Sha ...

. By 1980, Lorrain was a nurse based in

Ava, Missouri Ava is the only incorporated city in Douglas County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,894 at the 2020 census. Ava is the county seat of Douglas County. The city was founded in 1871. It was renamed ''Ava'' in 1881, the town's origi ...

Publications

* "A Cache of Blades from

Carrollton, Texas Carrollton is a city in Dallas County, Texas, Dallas, Denton County, Texas, Denton, and Collin County, Texas, Collin counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 133,434, making it the ...

" (1963) * ''

Bonfire Shelter Bonfire Shelter is an archaeological site located in a southwest Texas rock shelter, near Langtry, Texas, US. This archaeological site contains evidence of mass American buffalo hunts, a phenomenon that is usually associated with the Great Plai ...

: A Stratified Bison Kill Site,

Val Verde County, Texas Val Verde County is a county located on the southern Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population is 47,586. Its county seat is Del Rio. The Del Rio micropolitan statistical area includes all of Val Verde County. Val ...

'' (1965, with David S. Dibble) * "Bonfire Shelter Fauna" (1966) * "Bone and Shell Artifacts" and "Animal Remains" (1967) * "The Lower Rockwall Site,

Rockwall County, Texas Rockwall County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 107,819, and was estimated to be 137,044 in 2024. Its county seat is Rockwall. The county and city are named for a wall-like subterranean rock f ...

" (1968, with Norma Hoffrichter) * "An Archaeologist's Guide to Nineteenth Century American Glass" (1968) * "Archeological Excavations in Northwestern

Crockett County, Texas Crockett County is a County (United States), county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 3,098. The county seat is Ozona, Texas, Ozona. The county was f ...

, 1966-1967" (1968) * "Archaeological Excavations in the Fish Creek Reservoir" (1969)

Personal life

Hart married Paul Henry Lorrain in 1949. They had three children and divorced in 1977. She died in 2011, at the age of 83, in

Alpine, Texas Alpine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,035 at the 2020 census. The town has an elevation of , and the surrounding mountain peaks are over above sea level. A university, hospi ...

References

1927 births 2011 deaths People from Elkhart, Indiana Tulane University alumni Southern Methodist University faculty American archaeologists Women archaeologists {{Authority control