Excavation unit 1 (EU 1) is a 1 meter by 1 meter pit that initially began as an expansion of shovel test pit (STP) 6. In our survey of the lot next to Jenney Pond in downtown Plymouth, STP 6 stood out as a good place to open up a larger excavation unit as it revealed part of two large flat rocks lying next to each other. Considering that most stones in our previous STPs had been smaller and generally had rounded, smoother surfaces, we believed that these flat stones might be part of a wall foundation meriting further investigation.
As we expanded the unit and began to get down to the level of the stones exposed by the STP, it became evident that this unit was quite different from most of the other areas we had sampled, which had been mixed modern and historic deposits that were determined to be fill. EU 1, on the other hand, seemed to retain intact contexts from the 19th century, or layers with artifacts that all date to the same time period. Soon more large flat stones and rubble began to appear, and the soil became dark, rich, and organic with a high artifact density. We had reached a previous ground surface, or sheet midden, that would have been on the exterior side of a wall. We know this because of its rich artifact density and the presence of chunks of plaster, brick, and charcoal fragments that speckle the three walls not containing the stone foundation, which is located primarily on the northern half of the unit. Artifacts from this sheet midden all date to the 1830s and 40s, and include ceramics such as hand-painted and transfer printed pearlwares, glazed redwares, metal and ceramic buttons, part of a bone brush, a tailor’s thimble, a blue glass bead with white stripes, and a cut section of an animal long bone that had been curiously worked. Large amounts of butchered bone were also found including pig, sheep, cow, and even whole fish skeletons.

Unfortunately, a glimpse of the early 19th century was all this window into the past had to offer, as we reached non-cultural subsoil under these deposits. All in all, this unit was a real treat to excavate, but left us with some questions as to the extent of the wall and its purpose. Was it the foundation of a structure, or part of a retaining wall used to create a flat terrace out of a sloped landscape? In an effort to answer this, we opened up adjacent units to the east, EU 2 and 3, to try and transect the apparent line of large flat stones. Results of those units coming soon!
By Kellie Bowers