Excavated
between 1999 and 2001, the posthole remains of this building were found
in the northeast corner of the site, atop a terrace that overlooks a ravine
to the east that feeds Grice’s Run. To the west of the building, a fence
line oriented north-south and running parallel to the structure conspicuously
separates the structure from the rest of the buildings on the site. Excavators
found none of the building’s original wooden posts intact. Only a pattern
of soil stains in the ground where the posts either rotted in place or
were removed showed the physical evidence of the structure’s location.
The posthole pattern of the building suggests that this was the largest
and architecturally the most sophisticated of the four buildings found
at the site, measuring 27 x 16 feet with a central ridge pole supported
roof, and a small 8-foot square addition along its east side. In addition,
postholes outlining an off-center fireplace hearth were found along the
building’s south gable end. The identification of the hearth, which could
have been used for both cooking and warmth within the building, suggests
that the building likely functioned as a dwelling. In addition, a single
subfloor pit, sometimes called a root cellar, was located within the building
directly in front of the hearth. Found on sites throughout the Chesapeake
from the late seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries, subfloor pits may have
functioned as storage spaces for the people living in these small cramped
houses. Phytolith analysis of the subfloor pit fill revealed an assemblage
of plant remains dominated by European-introduced grasses, as well as
a strong indication that the root cellar had a wooden lining or structure
at its base, which had long since decayed to the point of being visually
undetectable. The large size of the building, its architectural sophistication,
and separation away from other structures at the site, all contributes
to the interpretation of the building as the main dwelling within the
house lot, and most likely the late seventeenth-century residence of middling
planter Thomas Atkinson and his family.
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