The Fiske Center Blog

Weblog for the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

More Structural Understanding at SBFS

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We’ve had some more new developments in the foundation excavations this week! We were able to uncover a new intact corner of the foundation in the southeast. We found corners already in the northeast, and last week we found one in the northwest. More and more, we are finding that the foundation of this 260+ year old structure is remarkably sound. It was designed, like most dry-stacked structures, to allow water and fine sediment to pass through, avoiding the destructive pressure of water built up behind the retaining wall. Rather than trying to keep the water out of the cellar like most modern foundations, this one was meant to channel it through the upslope wall, down through the gravel and sand-bed floor, and out through the stone lined drain on the downslope side of the house. While this means that these kinds of foundations require more maintenance than others to keep sediments out of the cellar, it also lends them to less warping over time. This old, but trusty construction technique is probably what has allowed us to find so many sound corners of Sarah’s cellar.

Alex and Kelly work on the new southeast corner.

By: Heather Law Pezzarossi

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