Phase II and Phase III Archaeological Database and Inventory
18BA314 Workers Barracks
Diagnostic Artifact Data
Features
Summary
The Workers Barracks Site (18BA314) consists of the remains of a mid- to late-19th century Irish immigrant multi-residential tenant structure, including the foundation ruins and two intact walls. The site is located in the town of Texas, Baltimore County, Maryland. The building is listed on the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties as BA-1794. The foundation ruins are bounded by the Ward-Cole house (ca. 1875) to the south, a quarry and a burned 19th century barn to the north, railway lines to the east, and an unnamed stream to the west. An extant (near adjacent) barn/carriage house sits outside the south the foundation wall and an extant shed was built onto the far western portion of the foundation.
The village of Texas was a 19th century Irish Catholic community where limestone quarrying and the production of lime was the principal economic activity. Even into modern times, quarrying activities continue to exploit the natural limestone resources and large sections of the local landscape have been heavily altered by the quarrying and later landfilling activities. The town is situated in a valley (Limestone Valley) that was once part of St. Paul’s Parish and in the Backs River Upper Hundred, one of the three original ‘Hundreds’ in the county. Early names for the town were Clarksville, Clark’s Switch, Quarryville, Goosetown and Ellengowan. The town received its final name of Texas in the late 1840s during the Mexican-American War. It was said to have been named to honor a local rifle company called the “Texas Greens” who fought in the war. The area of Texas was first settled in 1703 by Joseph Taylor. In 1725, Thomas Cockey purchased Taylor’s improved house and lands. Cockey owned the land until his death in 1737; there was no evidence that he conducted any improvements within the tract. Cockey’s son, Thomas Cockey Deye, inherited the land at his father’s death. In 1804, John Clark began a small-scale quarrying and lime operation on land that he was leasing from Cockey Deye (in 1849 John Clark finally purchased a 23 acre parcel of Lot #3). By 1810, Cockey’s descendants had divided the family landholdings into several lots. All of Lot #3, approximately 168 acre, and a strip of Lot #4 would become the village of Texas. During the 19th century, the valley was primarily agricultural and lime was used as a soil conditioner. Prior to its being made commercial, many local farmers operated their own lime kilns.
The arrival of the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad in the village in 1832 had encouraged the limestone business and provided transportation of the product. In the 1840s, Irish immigrants coming to America to escape the famine at home settled in the area and worked at the kilns and quarries or ran local businesses that supplied the community with goods and services. In 1846, Samuel Griscom purchased a 44 acre parcel on both sides of the railroad that formed the center of Texas. Within a year he was operating a quarry. Griscom devised a town plan that involved building a number of duplexes along either side of the railway line in order to keep the workers close to work. Industry in Texas peaked between 1850 and 1880. By 1852, there were 37 individually owned kilns operating in Texas. When Griscom died in 1854, Jacob Burrough purchased a large portion of his estate and continued to rent out several dwellings therein. In 1863, Adam Denmead, another large landholder in Texas, began to purchase sections of the Burrough and the Griscom tracts among others. The industry gradually declined into the 20th century, due mainly to a lack of modernization, but was revived in the 1930s when the Campbell Company bought and consolidated most of the quarries in Texas. In 1969, the Campbell Company merged with the Flintkote Company. In the late 1980s, Flintkote sold 668.1 acre of mining and other land to Genstar. Genstar is currently the single quarry operator in the town of Texas.
The land tract that Site 18BA314 sits on passed from the Cockey family to the Bosely family to David Griscom sometime prior to 1854. In 1854, the land was purchased by Jacob Burroughs, a prosperous limeburner, who held it until his death in 1859. A small structure was depicted on an 1854 map of the tract. It was postulated to be a quarry-related outbuilding. In 1859, A. Denmead acquired the property and sometime before 1866 the multi-residential dwelling/ workers barracks was constructed on the property. A small outbuilding was also built on the property prior to 1866 that was a single family residence, possibly the mine owner’s residence, located to the south of the workers barracks. A station keeper’s house was also built on the property sometime between 1854 and 1866 at the junction of Old Padonia Road and the Railroad. The 1866 plat records showed that the property was a little over 2 acres with a 1 acre home lot with the long, two-story multi-residential structure that faced north towards the quarry and the single family home. On the occasion of Denmead’s death, the property was sold to Thomas Ward, a first generation Irishman who had immigrated in 1844. After eventually going bankrupt and having all his properties seized, Denmead’s daughter was able to purchase the Division 2 Texas lot in 1880 where she lived until her death in 1936. Her father also lived in the property until his death in 1910. Sometime during her tenure, the ‘workers barracks’ was destroyed. After Ella Ward died, the property changed hands several times. In 1965, the property was sold to the Harry Campbell and Sons Company who as of 1990 owned the property and rented the residence on the lot (the Ward-Cole house).
One historical account dated from 1927 suggested that the residential structure was actually a series of row houses known as “Catholic Row”. The housing complex was maintained for Irish kiln and quarry workers and was located on the Ward Estate. It was destroyed by fire in 1896. Thus, rather than a communal residence for immigrant labor, the foundation may reflect the structural remains multiple dwellings. After passing through several more hands, the property was purchased by the Campbell Company in 1965 who rented it out.
In 1982, a document describing the history of Texas, Maryland was prepared by a local resident. The research focused on the 19th century. The work resulted in the preparation of a National Register of Historic Places nomination to classify a section of the town as a Historic District with historical and architectural significance. The Workers Barracks was listed on the nomination form at that time (but not assigned a site number). In 2003 the district was determined not eligible for listing.
In the summer of 1985, a Phase I archeological survey was conducted ahead of the proposed highway traffic flow improvement project at Beaver Dam Road. The goal was to determine the effects of four proposed new road alignments on cultural resources located within the project area. The four road alignments, each with a width of 15.24 m (50 ft), were oriented in a general north-south direction and crossed through the middle of the Texas community. Prior to subsurface investigations, a windshield survey of the study area was conducted that indicated there was a great amount of disturbance due to historical and current industrial activity. Areas defined as having potential to contain intact cultural resources were identified through document research and interviews with local informants and historians. A pedestrian survey was carried out along the entirety of each of the 4 proposed alignments. In areas with little to no disturbance a probing rod was used to search for buried features. Probing was also used to confirm that disturbance had occurred. The pedestrian survey and probing was followed with subsurface testing. All excavated soils were screened and all materials were retained.
Site 18BA314 was encountered during testing at the southern end of proposed Alignments 2 and 4. The remains of the building consisted of standing portions of the end walls (east and west walls). Earthen mounds were observed to parallel the north and south wall foundations. A third earthen mound extended north just of the east wall’s northern corner. Probing inside the foundation indicated there was approximately 0.914 m (3 ft) of loose fill in the interior. A standing shed was constructed with its west wall utilizing the west standing wall of the Barracks (it was built on the Barracks foundation).
A large test unit (Unit 1) measuring 0.609 x 1.98 m (2x6.5 ft) was placed to examine the interior and exterior of the building. In the second stratum of the unit a foundation wall was encountered. At that point, all artifacts recovered were divided into ‘interior’ and ‘exterior’ categories. A pit feature (Feature 7) was encountered in the exterior part of the unit. Historic and prehistoric artifacts were collected from a mixed context in Stratum 5 and it was suggested that this represented a buried topsoil layer. Subsoil was encountered in Stratum 6 in the exterior part of the unit. The interior part of the unit contained 8 strata. Strata 3-5 contained architectural rubble while Strata 6 and 7 contained a higher proportion of domestic materials and a diminished amount of architectural materials.
Seven STPs (STPs 4-8, 30, and 31) were dug to examine the exterior of the Barracks area. Feature 3 (STP 4) and Feature 4 (STP 5) were located north and northeast of the Barracks’ northeast corner (respectively) while attempting to locate the 19th century barn ruins and support buildings for the Workers Barracks. Feature 3, a shallow refuse deposit, may have been associated either with the burnt barn remains (burned ca. 1900) that were located on the north side of the Barracks, or with the occupation of the Workers Barracks. During the excavations, it appeared that the barn itself was most likely part of the Ward-Cole Estate rather than in use by the occupants of the Workers Barracks. It was unclear if Feature 4, a loosely filled shaft or deep pit feature, was associated with the barn, the Workers Barracks, or the Ward-Cole house. STP 31 revealed Feature 16, which was interpreted to be a buried refuse deposit. The artifacts from Feature 16 were likely associated with activities related to life at the Workers Barracks.
The artifacts from all features and STPs associated with the area of the Workers Barracks were included in the artifact totals. This consisted of artifacts from STP4/Feature 3, STPs 6-8, 16, 30, 31, and Unit 1. In all, 2,029 historic artifacts were collected during the Phase I study. A total of 47 activity-related artifacts were recovered. There were 3 carriage bolts/hinges, 1 harness bell, 5 limestone and marble marbles, 3 slate pencil pieces, 1 doll’s chair, 3 flower pot sherds, 2 pieces of barbed wire, 2 metal rings, 1 telephone rotary dial, 17 glass chimney lamp fragments, 7 lamp parts and lamp shade fragments, 1 small spring, and 1 cotter pin. The presence of toys was unexpected; it was anticipated that material from the 19th century Workers Barracks would have reflected a male residence population rather than that of nuclear families or children. In all, 976 architectural materials were recorded. There were 13 brick fragments (discarded), 371 pieces of window glass, 533 cut nails, 10 wire nails, 16 unidentifiable nails, 11 spikes, 5 fragments of mortar (discarded), 2 screws, 2 bolt/nut, 3 tacks, 1 Agateware doorknob, 6 miscellaneous unidentified hardware, 1 porcelain insulator, 1 roofing slate fragment, and 1 asbestos shingle fragment. Thirty-three clothing items were found including 1 shell button, 17 milk glass buttons, 5 shell buttons, 1 wood button, 5 metal buttons, 1 shoe button hook, 1 grommet, and 1 suspender adjuster. A total of 637 kitchen-related artifacts were recorded. There were 232 bottle glass fragments, 1 piece of table glass, 1 piece of milk glass, and 116 ceramic sherds (98 whiteware, 3 redware, 1 creamware, 4 Rockingham/Bennington, 4 buff-bodied earthenware, 3 salt-glazed, buff-bodied stoneware, 3 porcelain). Miscellaneous kitchen items (n=287) included 2 glass jar lid liners, one with patented date “1898”, 3 canning jar rubber gaskets, 6 utensil fragments, 1 salt/pepper shaker top, 1 pot or kettle handle, 5 metal can parts, 1 lead bottle cap, 1 crown cap, 244 animal bone fragments, 16 teeth, 1 fish scale, 5 oyster shell fragments (4 discarded), and 1 clam shell piece (discarded). The majority of the bone fragments and the pig teeth were recovered from the interior portion of Unit 1, Stratum 6. Many of the bone fragments showed evidence of butchering and a few were burnt.
A total of 315 artifacts were included in the miscellaneous category of materials. There were 75 unidentifiable pieces of melted glass, 1 lump of glass slag, 3 fragments of charred wood (2 with the centers drilled out), 3 iron rods, 14 unidentified wire fragments, 22 unidentified metal objects, 158 pieces of flat metal, 3 slate fragment (probably not roofing), 27 pieces of coal (24 discarded), 5 clinker (discarded), 2 pieces of plastic, and 2 miscellaneous unidentifiable objects. Only 2 personal items were found: 1 jaw harp and 1 broken picture frame. The tobacco-related artifacts consisted of 17 pipe fragments. There was 1 stoneware reed pipe fragment, 7 white clay pipe stem fragments (5/64” and 6/64” bores), 1 bowl/stem fragment with a 6/64” bore, and 8 bowl fragments. One of the bowl fragments was decorated with 2 bands of fluting which possibly dated it to ca. 1850-1900 and a second pipe bowl was decorated with the Irish Shamrock and harp. The 2 arms-related items recovered were 1 shotgun shell cap and 1 bullet.
Eleven prehistoric artifacts, consisting of chert (6), jasper (4), and quartzite (1) flakes, were also recovered from the site. They were found in a mixed context with historic materials in Unit 1, Stratum 5. This stratum was identified as a possible buried topsoil horizon. It was suggested that these materials may have been introduced to the site in the historic past or they may have indicated the location of a prehistoric occupation. However, no other evidence of an earlier Native American occupation was encountered at the site.
Recommendations following the Phase I survey were that although Alignment 4 would not itself directly impact the cultural resource, indirect impact was possible. An analysis of artifact patterning suggested that some activity patterns were present. The identification of a possible buried topsoil horizon (Stratum 5) suggested that the site may possess integrity. Therefore, it was recommended that a more detailed Phase II archeological evaluation of the site be conducted in order to evaluate cultural significance, site integrity, and research potential.
Phase II site examination was conducted at the site in the fall of 1986.The purpose of the research was to evaluate the significance and potential eligibility of the site for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. This involved determining the horizontal and vertical boundaries of the site, assessing the integrity of the resource, and acquiring sufficient data to address the nature and function of the site. The excavation grid extended into the backyard of the Ward-Cole house to the south, and into the area of the burned 19th century barn to the north. Seventeen 0.609 m² (2 ft) test units (TUs 1-17) and six 0.9144 m² (3 ft) excavation units (EUs 1-6) were dug at the site. The interior of the foundation remains was investigated through the excavation of five excavation units (EUs 1-3, 5, and 6). The uppermost fill strata of the units were sampled because of the large number of modern artifacts present. Approximately 20% of the topsoil was sampled with 1 in every 5 shovelfuls being screened. EUs 1-3 were placed in order to examine separate thirds of the interior, EU 5 was placed in the area of Phase I, Unit 1, and EU 6 was situated to examine the interior and exterior of the south foundation wall. Test units were excavated in a line running east-west just north of the foundation. EU 4 was placed to increase the exposure around STP 31 of the Phase I investigations. A 10% sample of the upper 2 strata (topsoil and compacted fill) was screened for artifacts. Only 3 table glass fragments were retained from the unit excavation because it was determined that the material duplicated the data base obtained from the test units.
Excavations in the yard area revealed that the compacted fill deposit of sandy clay and limestone extended over most of the area around the foundation, stopping near the rear of the Ward-Cole house. As noted during the earlier archeological survey, the compacted fill was underlain by a buried topsoil with underlying subsoil strata. In a few instances the fill and buried layer were separated by other cultural deposits. The compacted fill and topsoil contained artifacts dating from the 19th and 20th centuries. Three strata of cultural deposits were noted between the fill and the buried topsoil in EU 4. It turned out that Feature 14, first identified as a refuse deposit during the excavation of STP 31 during the Phase I study, was comprised of 3 strata of artifact deposits and probable fill.
Results from the foundation interior evidenced that burning had taken place. The burn stratum was the lowest deposit that extended across the interior of the foundation. Artifacts were also recovered from an underlying stratum, especially in EUs 2, 3, and 5. Between the fill deposits and the burn stratum in EUs 2 and 5 there was a high structural material content, especially of brick and mortar. The burn stratum in EU 6 was adjacent to the foundation’s southern wall. EU 5 had a substantial cultural deposit below the burn layer. It contained a range of domestic artifacts, including a religious medallion and several military buttons, as well as architectural materials. An expanse of the northern foundation wall first revealed in Phase I, EU 1 was uncovered during the excavation of EU 5. The location of the southern wall was revealed through the excavation of EU 6. It was found that a substantial section of the wall was not in situ as it had been robbed subsequent to the destruction of the building.
In EU 2, a structural element of the interior was uncovered. A mortared stone wall oriented east-west was found in the unit at a depth of 33.5 cm (1.1 ft) below the surface. The wall was similar in form to the exterior walls of the structure. It was postulated that the wall, which ran from 0.33-0.79 m below the surface, was a central supporting wall running the entire 35.05 m length of the structure.
In the yard area, the current topsoil had a dominance of kitchen group artifacts, including bone and shellfish, with the architectural group second in frequency. Artifacts related to other activities and the furniture or clothing groups were missing. The compacted fill, which may have been taken from the nearby quarrying operations, contained a relatively equal ratio between the kitchen and architectural groups, and personal and other domestic artifacts were present. The fill stratum most likely represented a mixing of sterile mine tailings (piles of crushed parent rock) and refuse deposited from the Ward-Cole house. The purpose for placing the fill could not be definitively determined but it appeared to have been used to elevate the local terrain which is subjected to periodic flooding. An increase in the frequency of architectural materials as compared with the topsoil may be the result of construction, maintenance, or demolition activities; the decrease in the kitchen group could indicate either a removal of the waste materials from the locale or a decrease in those activities at that time. In the buried topsoil, there was an observable decrease in kitchen-related artifacts and an increase in architectural materials along with the animal bone group. Personal artifacts were also present in the buried topsoil assemblage. All of these materials are likely related to the early occupation of the site.
An examination of the artifacts recovered from the 3 strata situated below the compacted fill and above the buried topsoil in EU 4 revealed patterns that were probably related to refuse disposal at the site. The unit was placed 7.62 m (25 ft) northeast of the structure. Throughout the 3 strata, the kitchen group of artifacts was dominant with the architectural group second. The upper 2 strata appeared to be thin, possibly limited, scatters. The lower deposit (Stratum E) had the greatest soil thickness and contained a greater variety of domestic artifact types than the above strata. It may have constituted a localized refuse accumulation placed on the surface of the buried topsoil that represented a disposal area that was maintained during the history of the structure. Conversely, the refuse deposit may have been related to the post-occupation history of the structure. It may have been created during the demolition and waste clean-up activities that took place after the structure was abandoned. Therefore, Stratum E may have represented a secondary refuse deposit that contained waste generated by the occupation of the building that was removed after residence ceased.
A total of 4,346 artifacts were recovered during the Phase II investigations at the site and recorded in the artifact inventory. In some cases, brick, coal, and slag were not quantified so a minimum estimate of 2 was added to the total count. Artifacts that were counted but discarded were included in the totals in the table above. There were 99 activity items in the assemblage. This included 9 marbles (2 broken), 4 ceramic doll parts, 1 miniature stoneware saucer from a tea set, 9 slate pencil fragments, 2 pen pieces, 28 pieces of lamp glass and 1 lamp part, 1 horse shoe, 1 possible horse boss, 2 decorative brass plates, and 1 stamp plate labeled “Please Unpack Immediately”. One of the decorative brass plates was a identified as possible horse hardware and the second decorative plate, which measured 1.1 cm in diameter, was thought to be either a harness decoration or from a piece of furniture. Other activity-related items included 1 whetstone, 3 railroad spikes (determined to be tools used in stoneworking during the Phase III study), 1 cotter pin and padlock, 1 pail handle, 1 wheel rim fragment, 19 flower pot sherds, 2 battery parts, 6 fencing pieces and 2 staples, and 1 auto part (discarded).
The 1,667 architectural materials were mainly comprised of cut nails (889), unidentified nails (289), and window glass shards (358). About one-third of the window glass was probably modern in origin, the remainder belonging to the 19th and early 20th centuries. Other architectural items found at the site were 32 wire nails, 1 L-head nail, 26 brick fragments, 13 pieces of plaster, 23 spikes, 2 screws, 5 nuts and bolts, 8 glass insulator fragments, 5 hinges (1 with a bolt), 1 key escutcheon, 5 broken doorknobs, 2 pieces of roofing slate, 3 washers, and 2 box locks, 1 with the doorknob in place. A total of 96 clothing items were retained. The majority (73) of these were buttons: 2 bone, 5 rubber “Goodyear” types, 5 shell, 12 metal, 44 milk glass, and 1 unidentified material. There were also 4 button blanks, possibly shell. Four of the metal buttons were military buttons representing the US Navy, US Army Field Artillery, US Army Engineers, and the Confederate Army (from a Virginia unit in the Civil War). Other clothing-related items were 1 scissors handle, 1 thimble, 3 buckle fragments, 14 grommets, and 4 shoe heel fragments. The 5 furniture items recovered were 2 brass tacks, 1 stove part, and 2 caster parts.
A total of 2,110 kitchen-related artifacts were recorded. Of those, 1,066 items were glass (986 bottle and container fragments, 79 pieces of table glass, and 1 fragment of milk glass) and 407 items were ceramic sherds (28 coarse earthenware, 6 buff-bodied earthenware, 1 Rockingham, 30 porcelain, 197 ironstone, 4 unidentified stoneware, 76 whiteware, 13 brown and 2 gray domestic stoneware, 17 Albany slipped stoneware, 12 yellowware, 3 refined earthenware/bisque, 1 redware, and 17 unidentified ceramics (many burned)). There were 637 miscellaneous kitchen items including 24 metal can fragments, 1 pull tab (discarded), 9 utensils (with 2 bone and 1 mother of pearl handles), 2 Lea & Perrins bottle stoppers, 1 iron Granite ware saucer, 3 crown caps, and 1 glass jar lid. Subsistence-related items included 534 animal bone fragments, 9 whole and broken oyster shells, 1 unidentified shell, 12 eggshells, 14 land snail shells, 12 corn cob pieces, and 14 burned walnut hulls. A substantial number of animal bone fragments (n=273) were recovered from the interior burn level and the cultural deposits below the burn level in EU 5. If the remains were located below the floor of the building, it would have created a foul smell that the residents would have had to endure. Given that, it was postulated that the bone deposit may have represented a secondary deposit that disturbed the area around EU 5 and was introduced into the burn stratum’s primary deposits. However, the origin of the faunal remains could only definitively be determined through further research.
A modest 306 miscellaneous objects were retained. This included 146 unidentifiable glass fragments that had been burned and melted. There were also 69 unidentified metal fragments and objects, 2 wood fragments (discarded), 1 mica fragment, 6 pieces of slate, 10 pieces of plastic, rubber, foil, and twigs (discarded), 9 lengths of unidentified wire, 18 pieces of coal (10 discarded), 1 piece of charcoal (discarded), an estimated 6 pieces of slag (discarded), 6 rocks (discarded), 1 piece of shale and 1 fragment of cement, 1 soil sample, and 7 unidentified materials (burned).
Only 13 personal artifacts were recovered. This group consisted of 1 face glass from a watch, 1 jewel fragment, 2 plated brass pin fragments, 2 beads, 1 copper pendant, 1 religious medallion, 1 Vaseline jar and 1 plastic toothbrush, 2 coins (an 1817 penny and an 1863 Indian Head penny), and 1 cowry shell. The presence of the cowry shell led the investigators to speculate that it may represent an African American presence at the site. The tobacco group of artifacts consisted of 50 pipe fragments. There were 34 white clay pipe stem and 11 white clay pipe bowl pieces. Several of the bowl fragments were decorated and many were marked “Glasgow”, a few were marked “New York” and others were English. There were also 2 reed pipe fragments and 3 terra cotta pipe fragments in the assemblage.
All 4 units excavated inside the foundation recorded several fill sequences which overlay a burn stratum and refuse deposit. Except for EU 1, there were 3 fill deposits located above the burn stratum. The upper fill level contained the majority of the modern materials recovered from the site. The lower fill levels, burn stratum, and refuse deposit had artifacts that dated from the mid-19th through the early 20th centuries that were probably associated with the occupation of the Barracks and its subsequent demolition. The majority of the glass from the site had manufacturing and common use periods ranging from ca. 1880-1915 which generally corresponded with other datable items recovered from the site. The yard area associated with the site contained a buried topsoil which corresponded to the original historic grade below which archeological deposits were preserved.
As a result of the Phase II evaluation, Site 18BA314 was considered to be culturally significant and as having the potential to provide data on domestic, economic, ethnic, and dietary practices in a 19th century industrial community. Phase III Data Recovery was recommended if the site could not be avoided during the proposed construction activities.
Phase III archeological investigations were carried out at Site 18BA313 from May-July 1990. The main goal of the archeological recovery was to recover information concerning immigrant ethnicity evidenced in the archeological record. The site was chosen for study because cultural material patterns would provide insight to the socioeconomic level, and possibly Irish cultural behavior, for a 19th century family residential lifestyle. The database was to be studied at a site-specific level, and inter-site comparisons would be made with residential structures 18BA313 (Feature 11) and 18BA325 (Poe-Burns Duplex). Extensive documentary research was conducted prior to field work in order to establish a chronology of ownership and land use.
Field investigations called for an estimated 50% sample of the primary deposits surrounding and within the building. The interior of the foundation was stripped of topsoil using a backhoe to just above the primary deposits (fill layers) that were previously identified. An archeologist monitored the work. The objective was to reveal the interior structure of the building in order to determine if it was a series of individual dwellings or a single, large barracks building for workers. Artifacts recovered during the stripping and monitoring were classified and inventoried then discarded due to the lack of in situ context. Four shovel test pits (STPs) were then excavated through the fill layers to establish a profile of layers above the primary deposits. A 10% soil sample from the STPs was subjected to screening.
The interior of the foundation was divided into quadrants (Quads A-D) which were in turn subdivided into 1.524 m² units. Approximately 47 units were excavated. The portion of the foundation interior situated inside the extant shed located at the west end was examined through the excavation of 2 trenches measuring 2.74 x 0.914 m and 3.96 x 1.82 m (9x3 and 13x6 ft) and a unit measuring 0.914 x 1.22 m (3x4 ft).
The exterior foundation study area extended 9.144 m (30 ft) north of the north wall. The topsoil and underlying mine tailings were mechanically stripped. The exposed buried topsoil was flat-shoveled and troweled and examined through the excavation of 27 STPs excavated at 9.144 m intervals. Following the STP excavations, the area was mechanically stripped of the buried topsoil layer in order to expose subsurface features. Four 3.048 m² test units (EU s X1-X4) were excavated next to the north foundation wall and 3 judgmental units were placed to examine features. During the interior and exterior foundation testing, soil from features was taken for flotation and chemical analysis. All hand-excavated soils were screened.
The building foundation measured 35.05 m (115 ft) east-west and 16.66 m (35 ft) north-south. The eastern wall was 1.98 x 2.59 m (6.5-8.5 ft) above the ground surface and the west wall formed the rear wall of the shed. The east and west walls were made from cut stone but the find of nails inside and just outside the foundation possibly indicated that the larger north and south walls were of frame construction. The recovery of roofing slate suggested that the building was covered with slate roofing. The remains of an interior structural support (Feature 23) was identified in the southwestern quarter of the foundation. There may have been a root cellar or crawl area in this area but no large cellar was found. Feature 16 was identified as a linear array of brick in a fall pattern thought to possibly represent the location of a chimney and fireplace or a stove. East of Feature 23 was an enlargement of the masonry support (Feature 19) with a possibly associated concentration of coal ash (Feature 21).
Five cultural layers were identified in the interior foundation. Layers A, C, and E were deposits containing mortar, plaster, and charcoal (layers C and E only). Layer C was the burn deposit that resulted from the destruction of the building. Layer E was only recognized in Quad A. Layers B and D had matrices of dark brown silty sand or sandy silt; Layer B contained plaster, mortar, and ash and Layer D contained some charcoal.
Several features were identified in the foundation interior. Features 15-19 were found in Quad A in the northwestern portion of the building and were mainly architectural in character. Both architectural and domestic artifact types were recovered from the features. Feature 15 was the trench created when the north wall was robbed out. The trench was filled with loose brick and rock fragments in a matrix of coarse sandy silt. Feature 16 was identified as a scatter of bricks. The brick feature appeared to have originally adjoined the interior of the north foundation or sat on top of the foundation. Feature 17 was best
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