Excavations in the northern portion of Lot 14 revealed the remains of a domestic midden that was likely deposited in the basement of a structure that stood on this lot during the 17th century. Beneath the second mortar floor, the excavations encountered an 8-12 inch thick layer which consisted primarily of a black silty soil containing burnt wood and charcoal with inclusions of a grayer ashy soil. Test cuts were placed in a "checkerboard" pattern in an attempt to uncover the full extent of the midden and allow for a continuous north-south profile. An additional excavation unit (Test Cut AL) was placed so as to extend Test Cut Y westward to the Lot 13/14 boundary wall. Four of the seven test units placed in the north portion of Lot 14 involved the excavation of three separate levels within the midden deposit. Two midden levels were excavated in two of the other test cuts. These levels were analyzed separately in order to determine whether the deposit was accretional. This context (Catalog #429, Lot 14, Test Cut O Extension, Stratum 3, Level a) consists of artifacts from the overlying “transitional” deposit from one of the seven text cuts excavated in Lot 14, which may relate to the midden or to the deposit above it. Please see pages 254-260 of the site report for a more detailed analysis of the Lot 14 midden and the associated deposits.
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Collection method
This level was excavated using trowels. All soil was wet-screened through 1/4 inch mesh.
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Soil
Ash/Charcoal
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Munsell
Not recorded
