New Issue of the CRAB newsletter/ Post-excavation work continues

It has been nearly three weeks since our excavations at the Market Master's backlot finished. Artifacts have been taken to the lab and are being washed, analyzed and catalogued.

The last day of work saw us carefully drawing the soil profiles we revealed in our test units, puzzling at what appeared to be the dark cultural soil of an occupation that left little other than the traces of artifacts. If a structure did stand here during the 18th and 19th centuries, it left little evidence of its shape and size. In contrast to the heavy stone sturdiness of the Market Master's house it is difficult to imagine structures so transient that they simply, nearly, disappeared with time! And yet we know that much of Bladensburg was occupied by such structures, and that the four buildings that stand from this time period (George Washington, Magruder, Market Master and Bostwick houses) are exceptional as masonry constructions.

The new issue of the CRab Bulletin is available for download. The CRaB is the State Highway Adminstration's Cultural Resources Bulletin and it is filled with details about some of the projects the folks at SHA are looking in to. Check out this season's issue for articles on the Scorpion Project and a "mystery building" unearthed in Frederick, Maryland. It can be dowloaded here: http://db.tt/snUX7Gr

Market Master's house backlot, Day 10: "Last Day, Well Almost...."

Just a quick update for the day. It was hot today. Really hot! A record breaking day for the 24th of September in this area. Luckily, our favorite ice cream truck, Mister Magic, showed up to provide us with some cold sweetness.

We rushed to finish up our units, and finished all the excavation for the rest of this year in Bladensburg. We still have a little bit of profiling to do next week. We will also post some blogposts to sum up the preliminary site findings and showcase some of the really unusual artifacts we found this past field season. Keep in touch!

Market Master's backlot, Day 9, "One Day Left!"

This post is from Janet Donlin. Janet has worked on almost all of the sites here in Bladensburg, and has also done her share of artifact analysis and preparation for the project:

Tomorrow is our last day here at Market Master’s, and we have our work cut out for us. We have three units left to dig, two of which we opened up yesterday. Frank, Jen, and Courtney are about a foot into unit 18, and Rick, Molly, and Nicole are blasting their way through unit 17. There’s some good news for me and Mike in our unit…we’ve finally got a unit with some cool artifacts! Today we pulled out a bone button, the neck and mouth of a bottle with an applied lip, a fancy looking piece of iron that could possibly be part of a gun or door hardware, a pewter utensil, and a very nice piece of a bowl with a multi-chambered slip featuring horizontal tri-colored twigs and green glazed rilling. Put this all together, and it looks like we are well into the early 19th century. We’ve also recovered a lot of big chunks of bone, some of which are burnt.

Unit 17 is already into the prehistorics. The unit was opened up yesterday, and dug through pretty quickly. There was a 20th century feature in the southwest corner, and they have recovered a lot of 19th and late 18th century ceramics, but few colonial artifacts. They are finding a lot of rhyolite and some quartzite flakes, all debitage so far. It is really interesting to see which units are yielding the colonial artifacts and which are showing a strong prehistoric presence. Most of the colonial artifacts seem to be concentrated in units closest to and directly behind Market Master’s house. We have yet to find a privy, though, and it’s still a mystery to where that might be.

Unit 18 is still at a more modern level. They’ve been recovering a lot of nails, more modern ceramics and glass, and some pretty large pieces of shell edged wares. Unit 18 is right between two units that found lots of great prehistoric points and flakes, so perhaps this unit will find that as well.

We have one more day to dig and three units to finish up, but we have a lot of great archaeologists out here and we should have no problem wrapping things up. We’ve found a lot of really neat things, but I have to say my favorite is probably the little plastic dinosaur from the first day. It’s just so cute!

Market Master's house backlot, Day 8: "Julie's Assesment"

Only two more days left to dig in the Market Master’s backyard. As expected, we may have the ephemeral remains of an outbuilding. In several of our units, we discovered dozens of badly decomposed nails and fasteners associated with the colonial stratum. Although it is a bit too early to make conclusions about our findings, it appears that when Christopher Lowndes built his stone house in 1760 he eventually added an outbuilding behind the house. The building does not appear to be residential since there are so few personal items.

Other updates include the conclusion of one of the most disturbed units on the site. To the far south, we discovered numerous 20th century intrusions and metal pipes. (see picture, left) It is amazing that only 15 feet to the north there is a beautifully stratified prehistoric site with colonial artifacts sprinkled on top. The last decision of the day is whether or not to open another unit….it only gives us two days to excavate, but we can spill over to next week to finish this last unit. The new unit will connect the prehistoric tool production area and the area with beautiful colonial artifacts such as featheredge creamware, debased scratch blue stoneware, (picture, left) and a French gun flint.

Market Master's house backlot, Day 7: "Unit 15 Update"

Today we have an update from University of Maryland student Jen Allen who spent the day working on Unit 15 where they have been point proveniencing all the flakes coming out of the unit. This means they mapped in the location, including depth of each piece of prehistoric stone tool-making waste for later analysis. Jen had this to say:

"It’s been an exciting day today at the Market Master’s House. I have been helping Frank excavate TU 15, the unit directly west of TU 12, which yielded so many rhyolite flakes last week. TU 15 has not disappointed as the concentration of rhyolite flakes clearly continues. In one level alone 100 rhyolite flakes were recovered along with 2 sherds of Native American ceramics and a large quartzite cutting or chopping tool. (see picture below, left) The plan for the next level was to take a pollen sample and after only a few trowel cuts into the soil what we think could be an archaic bifurcate quartz point was found. (picture below, right) I’m looking forward to see what else this unit has to offer and how far back in Bladensburg’s past we’ll go."

Market Master's house backlot, Day Six: "Looking Back at Five Excavations in Bladensburg"

This post is from Mike Roller, from the University of Maryland:

In the last two years I have taken part in five excavations in Bladensburg. Each site has been distinctly different, with its own revelations, quirks and mysteries. Speaking from an excavation conditions standpoint, we all agree that this site has been a pleasure to dig. The pleasant weather, the sandy smooth soils, the shady backyard and the accommodating land owners have all contributed to this. This time we have employed a strategy of grouping our units closely this time, in order to open a larger space clustered in the back of the Market Master’s house. This has allowed us to discuss our findings and compare our soils as we dig. It has really helped us to create a more cohesive picture of the historic landscape of this area. That doesn’t mean there aren’t many mysteries to solve….

Retrospectively, however, there are a few things from this site that have been consistent with many of the sites we have excavated here in Bladensburg.

-The material culture of conflict in the form of Civil War or War of 1812 bullets, uniform buttons and gunflints. As yet we have not tabulated how many of these we have collected throughout Bladensburg or what they can tell us about the town during these conflicts, but future research may reveal new facts. This site has been no exception, with a musketball, gunflints and military buttons.

-Evidence of prehistoric lives have been found at almost all the sites we have excavated in Bladensburg suggesting long and extensive Native American occupation in this location dating back as early as six thousand years ago. As discussed in previous blogposts, the ecological richness of this area, at the junction of two streams with a rich floodplain and numerous natural springs, would have made the Bladensburg area very attractive to prehistoric inhabitants.

-Late-nineteenth and twentieth century efforts to modernize or otherwise modify old features to meet modern needs. In this section we could include the extensive efforts by the early twentieth century occupants of the Bostwick house to modernize and fashionably remodel the architecture and landscape around the house. This included removing older structures such as outbuildings and, probably, slave and servant’s quarters. At the Magruder house and Indian Queen Tavern we saw drainage systems put in an effort to keep the Anacostia floodwaters at bay. At the Indian Queen we saw a historic well reconstructed as a system for draining the house. Here in the backyard of the Market Master’s House we have seen some evidence of twentieth century construction, including the possibility of a similar effort. (more on this in a future blogpost?)

One question we can begin to ask now is: “What have we not seen in Bladensburg that we might have expected?”. We have not seen much evidence of what we know was probably a big business in Bladensburg, the trade in enslaved peoples from Africa. Neither have we seen much evidence of the lives of those that lived in Bladensburg in forced servitude. Additionally, we do not have a good sense of how the laboring classes in Bladensburg might have lived. Though four brick or stone eighteenth century structures have survived Bladensburg’s 250+ year history, we know that the majority of structures in Bladensburg were modest wood frame dwellings. Who lived in these houses and how did there lives differ from the lives of those that lived in the wealthier portions of the town? Archaeology and additional research and analysis conducted in the future may have the answers to some of these questions...

Market Master's House, Day Five. Porcelain Doll Parts!

This post is from Nichole Sorenson-Mutchie from the Maryland State Highways:

Three units have are now complete (TU 9, 10 and 11) and new units (TU 13, 14, and 15) have been opened based on shovel test results. Within the first few levels, each of these units found various doll parts. Mike reminded me that I did a blog post about dolls last year from the Magruder House, so I decided the tradition must continue!
The cluster of peach colored pieces in the upper left of the picture represents two different unglazed bisque porcelain heads. One piece shows a portion of a large eyebrow and eyelashes. Given the size of the painted eyebrow, the doll head must have been quite large, like the example pictured below. Bisque porcelain dolls were introduced in the 1860s.

The doll on the nearly complete doll on the right is also an unglazed bisque doll. The body was found in the first level of TU 14 and the head found in the following level. This doll is known as a “penny doll”, “Frozen Charlotte”, or “bathing dolls”. These were produced from the late 1800s to about 1930. The body is all bisque whereas the doll described above would have had a fabric torso with porcelain limbs. Below is another example of a bathing doll.

The last doll has me a bit stumped. The porcelain is glazed, unlike the other dolls. The attached arms, size, and porcelain torso makes it look like a penny doll, but it shouldn’t be glazed. Early “China dolls” with white glazed heads had fabric bodies so our example doesn’t fit. What these dolls do tell us is that children played in this area during the 19th and early 20th century. These children may not have had a big impact on the history of the site, but these few doll pieces are clues to their presence amongst the nails, animal bone, and bottle glass.

Market Master's House, Season Two, Day Four, A Day of Transitions

Quiet around here after the excitement of yesterday. A brief post from Molly Russell today:

Hi from the Market Master’s House! It has been a fairly slow day here – well, at least it has for one unit. Unit 9, the one I have been gracing with my presence, has featured a whole lot of digging and not much artifact-ing. We’ll be finishing it up today and opening up a new unit next to it, so hopefully tomorrow will be a more interesting day. Units 10 and 12, however, have been finding a ton of prehistoric flakes. Mike and Janet pulled a really nice point out of unit 10 this morning, while Jen and Frank have had bag after bag of flakes come out of their unit. It has been said that this is becoming more of a prehistoric site rather than a historic one, and I am starting to agree!

After closing out their unit (10) just before lunch, Mike and Janet opened up a new one (14). So far they have found a mixture of artifacts from different centuries, which makes us wonder how intact the historic material will be in that unit. That question will most likely have to wait until tomorrow. So, I guess you could say this site is a ‘to be continued…’

Top photo, by Janet Donlin, of a caterpillar on a screen. Below, Top: Courtney Singleton digging out the bottom of Unit 9. Middle: Nichole Sorenson-Mutchie profiling the wall of the same unit. Bottom: View of the site from the east.

Market Master's House, Second Season, Day 3, What a Surprise Today!

Everyone came in feeling a bit tired for our third day of fieldwork. We have had an interesting few days, but are already coming towards the bottoms of our first units. Luckily, we found some pretty neat stuff! Another piece of the puzzle we are putting together about Bladensburg's history. We asked Frank Mikolic and Zak Andrews to talk about what they were finding in Test Unit 12, located in the central portion of the site. Here is what Zak had to say:

"When I arrived at the Market House in Bladensburg this morning, I thought I knew what to expect; glass shards, maybe some nineteenth century ceramic, bits of bone. To my surprise, not even an hour into one of the central units here, we came upon a discovery of a prehistoric stone point found at its’ northeast corner. 30 minutes later, a second stone point poked its head out of the past into our hands. The two points were accompanied by a few dozen stone flakes, none much larger than the size of my pinky fingernail. Prehistoric/archaic artifacts were the last thing I was expecting to find among the colonial theme of things, so naturally I am thinking, “What does this all mean!?” With the help of my Maryland colleagues and the fine staff at the SHA, I’m sure we can come to the bottom of this mystery. This was my first discovery of a worked stone since my emerging practice into the field of historic archaeology and has surely caught my interest. Just goes to show you that you can never be too sure of what you might find out in the field; the past might just surprise you."

And Frank:

"Test Unit 12 produced excitement from the beginning of the morning until late into the afternoon. We kicked off the unit excavation by finding a 1865 2-cent coin along with various late eighteenth century ceramic types, including English Brown, Scratch Blue, Jackfield, and White Salt Glaze. Although there seemed to be some intrusions of nineteenth century artifacts, including the 1865 coin, the majority of artifacts recovered today within TU 12 dated to the late eighteenth century. Below this layer we began to recover a large amount of rhyolite flakes along with two rhyolite broadspear-type projectile points. Finding so much rhyolite in Prince George’s County is significant as much of the prehistoric lithics recovered in PG County and neighboring Montgomery County are from quartz and quartzite materials. Two fragments of prehistoric ceramic were also recovered during excavation of TU 12; it seems to be grit-tempered, but further analysis will be need to confirm both the temper and type. Our excavation of the test unit is approaching the sub-soil and we will likely complete it tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to the excavation of the adjacent unit so we can chase this rhyolite artifact concentration."

Market Master's House, Season Two, Day Two

This message was written by Rick Ervin from the Maryland State Highway Administration:

It’s been a hectic week. I just returned to the area following a week in Detroit, and started fieldwork at the Market Masters House the following day. My excursion to Dearborn, Michigan involved a reunion of WWII veterans who flew B-26 Marauders during the war (my interest stems from the fact that my late father was also a veteran). (see this website for more information: http://www.b-26mhs.org/) I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Courtney, one of the crew, had a grandfather who flew in the B-26. A small world!

We started a test unit at the back of the Market Masters property on Monday. So far, we’ve had a mix of everything between about 1800 and late 2008. Late this morning we started excavating a feature – the boundary appeared somewhat amorphous, but it was obviously different from the surrounding matrix. As it turned out, we had a trench for a water pipe. Although I had hoped it might have turned out to be a little earlier, we are starting to find some earlier ceramics, including edgeware and various transfer print sherds.

We also found a small cross, about which Courtney may have more to say in the near future. We’ve heard that the cinder block garage situated within 20 feet of our unit was once part of a small service station or auto repair shop. We’ve found a few artifacts that appear to be tool parts and may relate to the garage.

Earlier today, another unit produced a lead musket ball that probably relates to the Battle of Bladensburg. A quick measurement indicates that the diameter of the ball is slightly more than one-half inch, suggesting that it may represent an American round that was fired into the British positions within the town of Bladensburg. Most of the American militia units were armed with .58 caliber muskets that fired a ball with a slightly small diameter (about .52 caliber). See a picture of the musket ball below, along with a thimble found in the same stratum, possibly dating to around the same time:
Earlier, the family that lives here stopped by to see the site. Unfortunately, we had not found much at the time they stopped by. Hopefully they will come back soon so we can show them the good stuff – we appreciate their hospitality!

The weather of course has been perfect now that the heat of summer is dissipating. Despite the traffic noise, we have quite an idyllic setting here under the trees. However, we just heard the call to start packing up for the day, so its time to sign off for now.....

Today, archaeologists from the Maryland State Highway Administration and University of Maryland students returned to the Market Master’s House. Over the next two weeks we will be excavating south of the house and in the backyard in an attempt to find the remains of out buildings and refuse deposits. Our work is especially important this year since we are trying to understand how the area behind the house was used by the occupants. Last year we encountered post molds that suggested buildings may lie behind us to the south. Old maps and historic descriptions revealed nothing about how this area was developed and that is why archaeology is so important.

After excavating almost 20 shovel test pits, we opened up three five foot by five foot units and just made it through the first stratum. After finding a plastic dinosaur, we soon came down upon 19th and some colonial artifacts. There is nothing too out of the ordinary yet, but we hope to connect the post molds from last year to see if we can recognize a structure.
Research Update

After our excavation last year, we hit the old records to learn what the Market Master’s house was really used for and who lived here. What we learned is that there is no documentation for the building being lived in by a “market master”. Instead, the building appears to have been Christopher Lowndes’ store and one of the first mail stops in the country. It is possible people lived above the store, but based on the probate inventory the store was packed with a long list of items that would have made for camped quarters. By the late 1850s, Dr. Anderson bought the lot with Lowndes’ old store and he lived with his wife in a separate residence to the southeast on the same lot. We are not sure if the old store was used as a doctor’s office or rented out. The 1860 slave census does show Thomas Anderson owning a 51 year old female and 12 year old male slave. Did they use the Market Master’s House as a slave quarter? We may never know for sure, but is something to keep in mind as we examine the mid 19th century artifact assemblage.

Searching for the USS Scorpion

The following post was written by SHA lab director, Nichole Sorensen-Mutchie.

The Bladensburg Archaeology Project has now branched out into the waters of the Patuxant River in Upper Marlboro. The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) in partnership with the US Navy and Maryland Historical Trust has begun the search for Commodore Joshua Barney's flagship, the USS Scorpion. With the British in pursuit, Barney (pictured below) ordered the burning of his flotilla. It was better to have the ships destroyed than have them fall into enemy hands. After the ships were scuttled, Barney and his men went to Bladensburg on foot and fought in the battle there.

I spent the last two days assisting in the underwater archaeology operations underway to confirm the location of the USS Scorpion. This was a new experience for me, I had never worked on a shipwreck site. I couldn't help but think about how both terrestrial and underwater archaeologist have the same mission, but with completely different methods. First, you are confined to a metal barge! As you can see from the lower right picture, a lot of equipment is needed, which doesn't leave much room to move around. Then there is the various dangers the divers could potentially face. For one diver in the water, there are several people assisting them up top to communicate with them and be ready to jump in should the diver get into trouble. "Digging" is done with dredge, a motorized vacuum system that sucks water, sand and artifacts from the river floor to the surface. The sediment and artifacts then flow into a screen on the surface, which is inside a metal tub as seen in the lower left picture. Another hose is inside the tub to pump out excess water and sand into a holding tank to later be disposed of. No artifacts associated with the shipwreck were found while I was there, however the divers have come down on the wooden planks. Although there is very low visibility in the water, a lot is being learned about where exactly the ship is and how it is oriented.

There is a separate blog for the USS Scorpion project. Please visit http://www.scorpionarchaeology.blogspot.com/, as well as the Facebook page, USS Scorpion Project.

The Crab Bulletin, Special Bladensburg Edition

The Cultural Resources Section at the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) produces a quarterly newsletter. The summer edition of the Cultural Resources Bulletin (CRaB) is a special extended issue.

It includes in-depth articles on the Bladensburg Archaeology Project, as well as information on other SHA projects. Click on the newsletter link below to read the full edition:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1914151/Summer10CRaB_final.pdf

The Volunteer Experience at the Indian Queen: "Why we do what we do..."

This blogpost was written by Olivia Lane, who volunteered her time to help us out in the field this past week. Thanks Olivia!:

Finding the remains of lives long past is a humbling experience, and I would like to thank the State Highway Administration’s Cultural Resources department for allowing me to participate. Sifting through the dirt taught me, contrary to my recent college experiences, that not all PhD’s are afraid of getting dirty. Some actually enjoy their work, and the opportunity to share it with others—mud included. The artifacts uncovered at the site challenge the validity of word-count value of even the best photograph. There is something almost sacred about discovering and holding a tiny piece of a past life in your hands. A shard of pottery with an intricate, hand-painted flower design speaks to the eternal human need for aesthetics and beauty. A child’s marble tells of a simple childhood full of companionship and games. A pig’s jaw bone with teeth intact announces what may have been for dinner.

These artifacts can tell us as much about ourselves as they do about their previous owners. What things will we leave behind, and what will they say about us? Our legacy is everywhere—from plastic water bottles and McDonald’s® wrappers to outdated electronics. But uncovering these items may not hold the same value as the items unearthed at the Indian Queen Tavern, nor will their discovery be as difficult. The trash of the modern world is everywhere, and the half-life of a Dunkin Donuts® Styrofoam coffee cup is much longer than that of a hand-made children’s toy.

Archaeology may be partially about uncovering and preserving the past. It may be partially about learning about the details of the lives that came before us. But to fully understand the field, we must understand that we are finding out about ourselves. As technology and science advance at rapid speed, many things in our lives may change. Our basic needs never do. If we choose to focus on the similarities uncovered in Bladensburg, we may still have a fighting chance.

Indian Queen Excavation, Day 15: Last Day of Excavation

Posted by Dr. Julie Schablitsky, Principal Investigator for the Bladensburg Archaeology Project and Chief Archaeologist at the State Highway Administration:

Today we closed up the Indian Queen Tavern site and by mid July, the Anacostia Watershed Society’s parking lot will be restored. Looking back over the last several weeks, I can say that this has been one of the most complex and intriguing archaeological sites SHA and the U of MD has ever excavated. We recorded almost 50 features that included a brick foundations, a brick well, stone foundations, and numerous post holes and molds. The majority of the artifacts ranged in age from the mid 20th century through the mid 18th century; however, we also recovered quartz and quartzite stone flakes and a projectile point from the first residents of Maryland. Based on our excavations at the three archaeological sites in Bladensburg, it is very clear that the Native Americans lived and fished along the Anacostia River for hundreds, and perhaps even thousands, of years.

The history of the Indian Queen Tavern site suggested that we should encounter archaeology from the first tavern on this lot. Jacob Wirt, a German immigrant, and his heirs owned the property from 1763 through 1785 and operated a tavern here. It is unclear how the site was used between the mid 1780s and 1856 (historic research is still pending). By 1856, Francis Gasch, also a German immigrant, owned the property where he operated a cabinet maker/coffin maker shop between 1860 and 1907. The Gasch funeral home is still in operation just up the road (http://www.gaschs.com/). Between 1940 and 1960 the buildings on the lot were demolished.

The diversity of occupants and site use for 200 years gave us very complex archaeology with multiple soil strata and intrusions. Our field observations revealed that although we have intact Colonial structures and strata, many of the earlier structures have been truncated or churned due to the manipulation and use of the property. For example, on the very western side of our trench we encountered a brick well. This could be very exciting for archaeologists since these vertical shaft features can hold artifacts from the date the well or privy was abandoned. Indeed, we found mid 20th century bottles and artifacts in the well that confirms abandonment of the lot only 60 years ago. Perhaps most interesting aspect about the well was the reuse of this 19th century structure sometime in the mid 20th century as a cistern or small septic tank as evidenced by three courses of newer brick on top and a pipe sticking into it running from the George Washington House.

Over the next year, we will be busy washing and analyzing all of the artifacts from the site. We will also be pouring over all of the notes, photographs, and drawings trying to figure out the evolution of buildings and structures on the site. Although we have left the field for the laboratory with more questions than answers, I am sure that the data we collected from the Anacostia Watershed Society’s parking lot will give us an amazing story about German immigrant archaeology and the way people in Bladensburg lived during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Indian Queen Tavern, Day 13: Two Visits Rock the Day

Posted by Mike Roller:

An archaeology site can be an interesting place to work. Inevitably, we are always dealing with local conditions, be it weather or social environment. Though we did do some interesting archaeology today, I would have to say two unexpected visits were the most exciting thing today!

First we had a visit from Mr. Magic, the elusive local purveyor of ice cream, and magic, on wheels. Did I mention it was hot today? Mr. Magic drives a remodeled vintage ice cream truck and serves soft serve ice cream sandwiches and other treats. My orange creamsicle float sure beat the heat! Of course that was until the storm hit....

Yes, about 2:30 we looked up into a sky turning all kinds of purple green and blue, and it was moving fast! We packed up our tents and buckets and paerwork about as fast as we could and headed home. This photo was taken from the window of my car.

Other than this, the morning was productive. Frank finished Unit 6, and removed the western section of unexcavated soil to reveal the rest of his brick feature. Strangely, it terminated just past the edge of his feature, leaving just this corner of a brick structure. The unit immediately to the west (Unit 7) contained a large 19th century architectural feature that may have obliterated the remainder if this earlier brick structure.

In Unit 9 Julie began removing the stone feature that we believe is twentieth century. We are hoping it will reveal more about the deep artifact rich depression we excavated deeper in this unit. We are hoping it is a cellar.

In Unit 11 I came down on something I was expecting, but in a different configuration. A stone foundation was identified running north to south, terminated by the later well. The dark soil I mentioed finding at the end of last week turned out to be charcoal rich soil that may be related to either a burn event or to kitchen refuse. At the end of the (shortened) day we found some small surprises in this charcoal: burnt corn cobs. Later in the lab, we will carefully examine samples from this soil to look for signs of other faunal and floral material, the remains of an ancient tavern meal?

Actually the archaeology part of the day was pretty cool too....

Indian Queen Tavern, Day 11: Unit Updates

Today we have updates on the findings from the three units we have opened upduring this last week of investigations at the Indian Queen Tavern site. First is the eastern most unit excavated by Julie, Nichole and Lisa:

My unit is on the far eastern side of the site and would be closest to where the Indian Queen Tavern would have stood during the 18th century. Just below the surface is part of a rock foundation that dates to the early 20th century, its use is not known. About a foot below the foundation we discovered a pit feature full of brick, rubble, clay, and some artifacts. At this time, the feature appears to be an older cellar, but it is too early determine a function. In addition to the pit feature we also encountered a post hole and post mold mixed with 18th and mid 19th century artifacts. The most exciting artifact to come out of our unit today was a complete pipe bowl. Next week we will be disassembling the 20th century foundation to better expose the pit feature.

The second unit sits in the center of trench three and is being excavated by Frank:

Today was a nice cool day compared to yesterday and I continued work on Test Unit 6. Work in the unit continued on the brick masonry feature that was identified on Wednesday. Having cleaned the bricks off completely it was determined that the brick masonry was likely the corner of a structure. A post hole was located within the south eastern corner of the test unit and it is unknown if the post hole and brick masonry feature are related, however, they both produced nineteenth century domestic and architectural artifacts. The excavation of the unit was completed today and the walls will be profiled on Monday.

The third unit is in the westernmost portion of the site, and has been excavated by Mike:

This unit was intended to expose the 18th century stone foundation discovered in the units just to the east during the previous two weeks of investigation. We hoped that we could learn more about the dimensions and function of the structure that related to the earliest occupation of the site. However, the last week has seen lots of surprises appear in this unit. There was clearly a lot of late 19th and early twentieth century construction activity in this area. Besides a large well that looks to be late 19th and possibly twentieth century in construction there is a post hole with an intact wooden post sticking up in the center of it. At the end of the day I encountered fill soils with a mixture of 19th and 18th century artifacts: a bad sign when we are looking for intact deposits. I was happy to find a beautiful quartz projectile point mixed in with everything, but it just underscores the level of mixing in these soils. Though activities from the latter occupations of the site are very interesting, we hope that some of the 18th century feature is intact below us. We will see what next week brings!