A
small, roughly oval-shaped pit feature was found directly to the south
of the main dwelling, along the edge of terrace as it begins to slope
to the east and down into the adjacent ravine. Excavated in 2002, the
small pit feature was very shallow, penetrating only 4-inches into the
clay subsoil. The shallow depth of the feature may have been the result
of the extensive plowing and erosion of the area that would have truncated
most of the upper portions of the feature. Nevertheless, unlike most of
the other features around the buildings, the excavation of the pit resulted
in the recovery of relatively large sample of artifacts, animal bones,
and burned clay, including several cast iron fragments of dutch oven.
The close association of the oven fragments, animal bone, and burned clay
within a discrete area suggests the possibility that the area around small
pit feature may have somehow been associated with cooking and food preparation
for the houselot. Continuing analysis of the artifacts and animal bones
will hopefully clarify these preliminary conclusions regarding the small
pit feature.
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