Week 2 involved continued excavations of Trenches 7, 8, and 9. Most of our attention focused on completing excavation of Trench 7. Rain arrived on Monday and revisited us daily, forcing us to adapt our digging to the conditions!
A view of the hayfield and the Old House area facing north. The hay was taller than ever this year, at least 4 feet high, because it cannot be cut until the weather is dry for at least two consecutive days (good luck!).
The week begins with a group debriefing.
Everyone woke up very quickly when we removed the tarps from Trench 7 to find a 2 foot-long visitor. Christina bravely nudged our friend from the unit without injury.
An eastward view of Trench 7 at the beginning of the week.
In Trench 7, the orange soil around the wall is typical of the redeposited glacial soil on the property, which is often used as fill. Dug into this soil we've found several postholes in the past.
Kaitlin and Meredith dig for signs of postholes and other features.
Several postholes emerged adjacent to the wall. Each of these were photographed, then half was excavated at a time to reveal a cross-section. This cross-section provides information on the post's shape (square, round, etc.), depth, how/if it was anchored into the ground, and any artifacts used to fill the posthole later.
Another posthole
This posthole feature had two rocks at its base.
Trench 7 showing location of some of the postholes, and the terminus of the wall to the east. The excavations also confirm that the wall does not turn, is broken, and is set at a sharp angle relative to the other known wall and architectural trench features. This leads us to question whether this wall was actually part of the house structure(s) or served another purpose on the landscape!
A view of the action across the site - Trench 8 (front left), Trench 9 (front right), Trench 7 (back left).
Trench 7 at the end of excavations.
A view of the site in the midst of excavations facing south.
Coping with the heavy rain showers was possible thanks to our makeshift tarp tents.
Zach, Al, and Kaitlin brave the weather in Trench 7.
Excavations at the week's beginning in Trench 8 (front) and Trench 9 (back)
Trench 8 at the start of the week - with numerous chinking stones popping up, but no visible line or stratigraphic (soil) changes.
After a day of excavations, a concentration of stones running N-S in Trench 8 began to emerge
Then, in Trench 8, orange soil began to appear on the east side of the stone concentration - similar to the orange fill soil adjacent to the wall in Trench 7.
As we excavated and defined a wall feature in Trench 8, we discovered that the builders used many materials in constructing the wall. In addition to stone, mortar and brick, many bones were included. Some artifacts also appeared, including the pipe stem (bottom left), which will help us date the wall deposit based on its bore size.
A view of Trench 8 facing east as the orange soil emerges on one side of the wall feature.
Krysta takes notes under the tent.
Trench 9, facing north, at the beginning of the week.
Elise and Meredith measure the surface elevation in Trench 9.
This week we worked through the midden deposit in Trench 9, which was artifact-rich. Here, Christina shows of a lead shot from the context.
Elise found a large portion of a glazed red earthenware vessel in this context (GF1758).
In the northeast corner of Trench 9, adjacent to the wall feature, we uncovered a square of mortar.
Elise records the mortar square as a feature, using both standard photography and a flip video camera.
Trench 9 as we dug deeper through the midden (and a view from under our tent!)
Artifacts from Week 2
Here is a selection of some of the exciting materials we recovered this week.
Close-up of the lead shot from the Trench 9 midden deposit.
An animal jaw from Trench 9.
Rim sherd of a Rhenish stoneware vessel (production date range 1575-1775) - pieces of this have been found in several midden contexts across the Old House site.
A second sherd of Rhenish stoneware also found in Trench 9.
A buckle from Trench 9 - identical to one found in Trench 4 last year.
A tobacco pipe fragment with the a maker's mark that may read "RC". According to the Colony of Avalon pipe makers' mark descriptions, the "RC" pipes are from London and were produced between 1640 and 1670.
Sherd of sgrafitto - North Devon ware, a 17th century ceramic.
Elise proudly presents finds from Trench 9 to Matt, a curious visitor.
Kaitlin concludes her time at Greene Farm this summer with a snack (almost!).
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | and beyond (analyses, labwork, findings, etc.)
