Stockton,
CA 
What the Archaeologists Found
Out About Life at the Laundry
Historical Documents and Maps
Historical documents and maps told us that the laundry was called
the Sing Lee Laundry, and that it was operated by Chinese immigrants
from about 1894 until 1937.
The U.S. Federal Census gave us the names of the people who lived and worked in the laundry – they were all men and most of them had come from China.
Sanborn maps told us that the laundry had a building near the street where the washing would have been done and where the laundry workers lived. Water to wash the clothes was heated in a boiler.
In the backyard behind the laundry building was a wooden drying platform on posts, where wet clothes were hung out to dry.
Excavation
When
we excavated the laundry we found that the backyard was filled with
layers of ash, charcoal, and artifacts. The laundry workers had
thrown the household trash along with ash from the boiler’s
firebox into the backyard underneath the drying platform.
Artifacts
We found a lot of artifacts because people had lived and worked at the laundry for over 40 years. The artifacts showed us what tools and equipment the laundry workers used in washing and mending clothes. We found only a few toys, so we don’t think that young children lived at the laundry.
Many
of the artifacts were related to what the laundry workers ate and
drank. The artifacts told us that the workers tried Euroamerican
food, drink, and medicine, but also liked to eat the food and drink
they were familiar with from China. This helped the workers feel
connected to their homes and their past.