Introduction: Lots 8, 9, and 15 are modern designations for adjacent parcels of land that were owned together and used as a single property until the early 1830's. Lots 8 and 9 front Pearl Street and are important to the Stadt Huys project because they contained archaeological remnants of the Colonial-era Lovelace Tavern, a public house built around 1670. The Lovelace Tavern was the most important discovery on the Stadt Huys project because it proved that significant archaeological resources could still exist in urban spaces.
Rationale: Test Cut AO1 was excavated to further investigate archaeological features found in Test Cut AO. These features include a cistern, privy, builder's trench, and foundation wall. Importantly, the excavations of the test cuts in the backyard of Lot 9 revealed that this area was the most archaeologically intact on the entire project. This means that many archaeological features, artifacts, and undisturbed stratigraphical layers were discovered during testing. Therefore, Test Cut AO1 is an important resource for understanding the historical development of Lot 9.
Results: A 19th-century, dry-laid stone and brick privy (Feature 12) was found in Test Cut AO1. Project archaeologists removed part of the privy's wall to see if they could tell how old it was. The upper portion of the wall was made out of brick and the lower was made out of dry-laid stone. Artifactual and stratigraphical evidence points to an installation date between ca. 1810-1829.
Lot 9, Test Cut AO1, Stratum XI, Level E
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Collection method
Trowel, Screen (1/4-inch mesh). Arbitrary 4-inch Level.
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Soil description
Brick in Black and Brown Silt
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Munsell
10YR 3/2
