Smithsonian Institution - United States National Museum - Bulletin 249: Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology; Papers 52-54 on Archeology — David Hume — John Shaqi
Smithsonian Institution - United States National Museum - Bulletin 249: Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology; Papers 52-54 on Archeology
David Hume · en
Extensive probing all around the total area of excavation failed to
produce any further traces of the building, though the 1 foot 8 inches
of topsoil and sandy loam was found to be bedded on numerous small
deposits of oystershells and scattered brickbats. Test holes found that
all the located deposits north and west of the existing house had been
laid down or disturbed in the 19th century. Five test traverses with a
soil resistivity meter west and south of the excavation area produced
numerous anomalies which, when checked out, all failed to be associated
with the 17th-century cellar. It seemed that the misleading readings
were caused by variations in the density and moisture-retaining
qualities of the natural sandy clay subsoil.
Early in 1963, while planting a small tree to the south of the
existing house, Mr. Jenkins encountered a stratum of oystershells at
approximately 8 inches below the present grade. (Fig. 2, Area K.)
A series of small test holes was subsequently dug to the south and
southeast of the house, and showed that the layer of shells (average
thickness 4 inches) overlay the subsoil and was spread over an area at
least 15 by 10 feet. A small number of 19th-century pottery fragments
were found mixed into the stratum, but the vast majority of the
artifacts comprised bottle glass and earthenwares of similar types to
those encountered in the cellar hole excavation.[19] The most important
item was a pewter spoon handle of late 17th-century character (fig.
15, no. 27) stamped with the initial "M." The presence of this obvious
domestic refuse was not satisfactorily explained, but it is concluded
that it was originally deposited on the land surface and later
disturbed by cultivation.
[Illustration: Figure 7.--REMAINS OF DECAYED BOARD on floor in front of
underhearth. (_Photo courtesy of E. DeHardit._)]
Landscaping work towards the York River west of the house had yielded
a few widely scattered fragments of colonial and Indian pottery as
well as numerous 19th-century sherds. The colonial material was
predominantly of late 17th-or early 18th-century date, but two sherds
of Staffordshire combed dishes were of a type unlikely to date before
about 1720. No archeological digging was undertaken in these areas.
Archeological Stratigraphy
Each excavated area was given an identifying letter (fig. 3) and
each stratum a number. Thus an artifact marked "B2" was found in the
archeological area that contained the chimney and was recovered from
the top stratum of sandy loam and clay. It should be noted that not
all layers and deposits tabled below were encountered in any one
excavation area, while some were confined to single locations.
1. Topsoil and brown loam to 1 foot 8 inches over cellar hole.
2. Sandy loam merging into top of sandy clay fill or silting,
spreading over edges of cellar hole and sealing the chimney
remains. About 1690-1700 with some top disturbance.