Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

Introduction

From September 18 to October 4, 1996, Colonial Williamsburg's Department of Archaeological Research conducted a Phase II testing of a portion of Block 14 of Williamsburg. Block 14, owned by Colonial Williamsburg, contains a ticket office and restroom, Building 31A, which is proposed for expansion. This building is located on Lot 41 where previous archaeological testing has identified a site of potential significance within and adjacent to the proposed construction area. This testing identified structural features relating to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The purpose of this Phase II testing was to determine the integrity of those features and their associated layers and to assess the impact that the expansion of Building 31A would have on the archaeological resources

Historical documents reveal that Lot 41 was the site of a residential structure built around 1782 by John Lockley. Over the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, this residential site had several owners and occupants until it was razed sometime around 1864. Lot 41 also contained at least three outbuildings associated with the residence, however, the date and function of these buildings is currently unknown.

Three different archaeological projects have preceded this project. Jimmy Knight cross trenched the area in 1950 and uncovered the foundations of four buildings. Ivor Noël Hume conducted a salvage project in 1976 preceding the construction of Building 31A. In June of 1996, Dwayne Pickett tested a portion of the lot in preparation for the expansion of Building 31A. In all these cases salvage archaeology was done in areas further west of the current project area, however no testing was conducted within the present project area which includes space located within eighteenth-century yard space. Eighteenth-century yards are commonly identified by sheet midden deposits. Careful excavation and analysis of such deposits would shed light on daily life and activities during the eighteenth century.

Testing began on September 18 and took two and a half weeks to complete. Excavation was carried out under the general supervision of David Muraca, Staff Archaeologist with Colonial Williamsburg's Department of Archaeological Research. Project Archaeologist Pamela Eby supervised the field work and prepared this report. The field crew was made up of Elizabeth Gallucci and Kelly Sullivan. Laboratory processing was carried out by Gwyneth Duncan.

Description of Project Area

The project area, Lot 41, is located within Block 14, just west of the historic area of Colonial Williamsburg. This block, less than one acre, is bounded by Duke of Gloucester Street to the north, South Nassau Street to the east, Francis Street to the south, and South Henry Street to the west. The southern portion of Lot 41 is a paved parking lot. Building 31A is located in the northwest corner of the lot while the remainder of the lot is greenspace.

Figure 1. Williamsburg, Virginia.

When this project began, plans for the expansion of Building 31A extended approximately 27 meters east of Building 31A, well into the greenspace, and covering an area slightly wider than the present building is long.

Current plans for the expansion of Building 31A were presented to the project archaeologist on October 2, 1996. These plans rotated the proposed building ninety degrees and extended the expansion south rather than east. This new orientation locates some of the impact area in the middle of the parking lot. In that this area is disturbed by paving no test excavations were located in the parking lot. Instead test units were excavated on the edge of the parking lot. The resulting test area extended ten meters east of building 31A and extended one meter beyond the length of building 31A, creating a project area of 10 x 11.5 meters (approximately 33 x 38.25 feet).

Figure 2. Site Location.

Figure 3. Impact Area.

Environmental Setting

The city of Williamsburg is located on the peninsula between the York and James Rivers. It is situated on a ridge surrounded by a series of ravines. The area now known as Block 14 is depicted on the eighteenth-century Frenchman's map as a rather level area, with ravines to the north and east, generally located along North Nassau Street and opposite the Palace Green respectively. The nearest water sources are College Creek approximately one mile to the west, and Queens Creek approximately one and one-half miles to the north. Williamsburg's climate is temperate, summers are hot and humid with average temperatures in the low nineties, winters are mild with little precipitation and average temperatures near thirty degrees Fahrenheit

The project area, located on Block 14, is currently greenspace. To the west of the project area is Building 31A, a brick ticket office and restroom. The greenspace is enclosed by a fence along its northern and eastern bounds and by an area of small trees and brush to the south. This brush area serves to separate and shield the park from the parking lot located just beyond this line of brush. Several dirt foot paths cut through the brush, providing access to the greenspace from the parking lot. One of these foot paths cuts across the project area from north to south.

Historical Background

Site Specific Historical Background

Block 14 was granted separately to both Thomas Jones and John Blair in 1719. There has been no explanation for this duplicate ownership, nor is there any record of buildings for either of these men at Block 14. It is not known when the next owner bought the property, but John Lockley is first known to have resided at Lot 41 in 1778. Lockley paid taxes for Lots 41 and 42 (both on Block 14) beginning in 1782 (Stephenson 1955). The Frenchman's Map, drawn ca. 1782, depicts one large dwelling with three outbuildings to the south on Lot 41. The large structure, which would have been used by John Lockley, measures 62 by 20 feet.

Lots 41 and 42 stayed in Lockley's possession until 1785 when Lockley sold them to Wyatt Coleman. Coleman owned the property until his death in 1798 when it became part of his estate and was sold to James Moir by 1801. James Moir's insurance plat issued in 1802 describes a structure unchanged from that on the Frenchman's map, measuring 20 by 60 feet; however, a policy from 1806 describes another addition to the south of the house, 18 by 24 feet in area (Stephenson 1955). The dimensions of the building described in Moir's insurance papers almost match that which Jimmy Knight uncovered and identified as the John Lockley house, the ell off the south of the Lockley house measured 14.5 x 27 feet so there is a significant discrepancy. Knight also excavated a building in the next lot to the east, Lot 42, which he identified in his plans as the James Moir house and it is possible that there is some confusion between the two structures (Knight in Colonial Williamsburg Block and Building File ca. 1950).

Moir owned Lots 41 and 42 until 1810. Thomas Turner bought the land from Moir and held it until his own death by April 1823. Under Turner's ownership, some part of the then standing building was used as a store. Mrs. Turner owned the property from 1823 to 1838. Upon Mrs. Turner's death in 1838, Rev. Scervant Jones acquired the property and was charged taxes for it until 1858 when title was transferred to Charles C. P. Waller. Waller abandoned the property between 1861 and 1865, but paid taxes on it again in 1865 with the notation that his dwelling had been completely destroyed (Stephenson 1955).

Previous Archaeology

Cross trenching and salvage archaeological excavation have provided information regarding the structures situated on Block 14. Jimmy Knight's excavation in 1950 revealed a dwelling and several outbuildings that underwent several phases of construction. The earliest portion of the dwelling was 38 x 20 feet and had a cellar. The second phase of construction was the addition of closets to the south of both chimneys. The third phase was a large addition to the eastern end of the structure. This addition measured 27 x 20 feet and included a second cellar. A portion of the eastern wall of the earlier cellar was removed in order to gain entrance to the new cellar. At the end of this phase, the building measured 62 x 20 feet. The final phase construction was a 14.5 x 27 foot ell addition to the back of the house which contained a third cellar.

Figure 4. Previous Archaeology.

Jimmy Knight excavated using a method known as cross-trenching. This technique uses shovel trenches dug to subsoil. These trenches are a shovel's width and are set a shovel's length apart. Knight's trenches are oriented northeast to southwest. The goal of such a technique is to intersect intact foundations. Once a foundation is encountered, it is outlined, both on the inside and outside walls of the foundation in order to completely reveal the structure. Jimmy Knight used this technique at Block 14 and outlined the foundations of the John Lockley House and the remnants of three outbuilding foundations to the south, however this excavation took no heed of stratigraphy. Knight's concern was with architectural phasing which is described above.

In 1976 Colonial Williamsburg planned to install a ticket office and restroom on Block 14. Prior to this construction, a salvage archaeological excavation headed by Ivor Noel Hume was carried out in the area which would be affected by construction. The main area impacted by this construction was the original portion of the John Lockley house. The impact area extended from the middle of the western cellar south approximately three meters outside of the foundation wall. The impact area was excavated stratigraphically.

Within the cellar, four main layers of deposition were identified. Outside of the cellar archaeologists identified a large feature. This feature extended 2.75 meters (9 feet) south of the foundation wall and extended east and west across the excavation area. The feature was dug to the same depth as the cellar and shared its bottom layer of soil with that within the cellar, suggesting that both were part of the same feature for some time before the cellar walls were constructed. Ivor Noël Hume identified it as a possible brick borrow or the result of overestimating the size of the cellar (Parker 1976).

The west cellar fill has a TPQ of 1825 (Parker 1976). It is unclear then who built this first structure. It may have been John Lockley or one of the two earlier owners. Also unclear is the dating for the second and third phases of construction, although the Frenchman's Map illustrates that these phases were completed by 1782.

Earlier this summer, preliminary plans for the proposed building expansion were presented to Colonial Williamsburg's Department of Archaeological Research and a small testing project began on June 3, 1996 under the direction of Dwayne Pickett. This excavation took place in an area extending five meters east of the east wall of the ticket office. The five units which were opened revealed deep modern disturbance relating to the construction of Building 31 and intact layers with the earliest TPQ being 1820. Recommendations were made to allow construction in that area. Subsequent changes in the design of the expansion necessitate this project.

Research Design

Eighteenth-century garbage disposal patterns generally consisted of either tossing waste into abandoned wells, cellars, or other pits not expressly dug for rubbish disposal or scattering it across property forming a disposal pattern known as a sheet midden.

The research design, including field methods and laboratory procedures assess the integrity of layers of soil and features which may have been created through these eighteenth-century disposal practices. Testing was restricted to the immediate area to be affected by the expansion of Building 31A.

Field Methods

Several test units were planned for excavation throughout the area which, according to the then original plan, would be impacted by the expansion of the ticket office. Shortly after testing began, the proposed expansion was relocated along a north-south rather than an east-west axis, thus changing the area scheduled to be impacted. The extension now ran into a paved parking lot. From James Knight's cross trenching in 1950, and James Parker's excavation in 1976, we knew where the John Lockley house was located. Our first test unit was placed in an area where the corner of the new building was to be placed. This unit was also located within the Lockley house foundations so that the amount of fill over the cellar could be determined.

Test Unit 1 would only be dug to the top of the cellar fill. Our goal here was simply to identify an intact layer of cellar fill and to record how deep into the ground this intact layer sat.

Test Unit 2 was placed outside the foundation line, but near to it in order to verify our identification of cellar fill. This unit and all subsequent units were to be dug to subsoil. Test Unit three was located in the area thought to be the bulkhead entrance to the east cellar.

Test Units 4 and 5 were set a good distance to the south of the foundation, with Unit five being as close as possible to the parking lot . These units were selected in hopes of identifying the remains of the outbuildings relating to the Lockley house. The Frenchman's map depicts two smaller buildings to the south of this larger dwelling. It is possible that 11 these structures depicted on the map are the same ones which Jimmy Knight uncovered in 1950. Archaeology in the this particular area could help to date these buildings as well as attribute uses to them.

A grid was created for the site using a manual transit. This grid is tied into the northeastern corner of Building 31A, and grid directions are based on the walls of this building. The site grid can be tied into a city grid from the coordinates of the northeast corner of Building 31A. All test units were given coordinates and the northwest corner was used to designate location on the site grid. All test units were excavated in natural layers and each layer was given a specific context number. Artifacts were collected from each layer and were recorded by context number. Standardized forms were used to record information specific to each context.

Four of the excavated test units were 1 x 1 meter squares while test unit five was a .75 x .75 meter square due to both its proximity to the parking lot and the line of heavy brush across the project area.

All units were dug in natural layers. All soil was passed through ¼-inch screen. All artifacts were kept save bricks, mortar, marl, shell, coal and charcoal of which only a sample was saved and the rest recorded. The crew drew profiles of the west wall of each unit in order to illustrate stratigraphy. Due to the location of the site in a public area and along a foot path, each unit was backfilled immediately after excavation and recording was completed.

Figure 5. Knight's Excavations Overlaid on the Frenchman's Map.

All features were photographed in black-and-white and in color film and were drawn. A site map was drawn using existing structures and boundary lines for reference. All significant maps and drawings were digitized into AutoCAD files and are stored at the Department of Archaeological Research.

Laboratory Procedures

All artifacts were washed and were coded using ReDiscovery, a computerized coding system. Artifacts, as well as documentation, are stored at the Department of Archaeological Research.

Test Unit 1

In Test Unit 1 the nineteenth-century destruction layer is very thin, 1.2 inches (3 cm). Below this layer is a layer of dark gray loam similar to the destruction layer, but lacking the Figure 6. Profile of Test Unit One. 14 same rubble. This layer is 2.5 inches (6 cm) deep and seals the cellar fill. This first layer of cellar fill, context 14EC-5, is darker than the layer which seals it and contains brick and mortar rubble. Context 14EC-5 contained unleaded clear glass, giving it a TPQ of 1864. The unit was not excavated beyond this layer to keep the cellar fill intact.

Test Unit 2

Test Unit 2, set outside the foundation line contains the nineteenth-century destruction layer (context 14EC-8), as stated above, but the layer is much deeper than in any other unit, 18.75 inches (48 cm) deep. Below this layer is a 2.5 inch (6 cm) layer of plaster, context 14EC-9. Below this layer was a layer of coal and coal dust, 5 inches (13 cm) deep. The final layer in this unit was an ashy layer with coal. This layer sat above subsoil, a mottled orange and gray sandy clay. The bottom of this unit was 34.5 inches (88 cm) below the surface, which very likely could be the depth of the cellar. When one overlays this unit onto Jimmy Knight's plan of the Lockley house, this unit sits within the cellar of the southern extension of the house, so that the orange and gray clay which we uncovered could be the same "natural clay floor" which he describes. The bottom most layer in this unit, the coal and ash layer (context 14EC-11), has a TPQ of 1864.

Figure 7. Profile of Test Unit Two.

Test Unit 3

Test Unit 3 was opened on top of the foundation of the Lockley house. Its location was determined in an attempt to hit the bulkhead entrance to the second phase of the house. Foundations from both the ca. 1782 expansion and the ca. 1806 expansion were revealed 11.5 inches (29 cm) below modern fill. The ca. 1782 foundation ran west to east across the northern portion of the unit and comprised at least 8 courses of brick. The builder's trench , which was only exposed 3 inches (8 cm) above the bottom of the unit, was composed solely of mortar. No artifacts were recovered from the builder's trench. The trench was sampled revealing a fill that was probably created by the oozing of wet mortar into the narrow space between the brickwork and the subsoil when the next layer of bricks was laid. This foundation was laid in English bond, with alternating courses of headers and stretchers.

The foundation for the ca. 1806 foundation ran north to sound across the unit. This foundation was only four courses deep and was set on subsoil. The bonding of this foundation was common bond, every course of headers, and the bricks were both full size and well bricks. The remainder of Test Unit 3 revealed one of Jimmy Knight's cross trenches which outlined the Lockley foundation. Artifacts from Knight's trench dated from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries, but the TPQ of this fill would be 1950. Below Mr. Knight's trenches was a gray ashy circular feature, which Jimmy Knight identified as a filled well (Colonial Williamsburg Block and Building Files 1950). This feature was left unexcavated, but its location underneath the ca. 1806 addition suggests that it dates to the eighteenth century.

Figure 8. Plan of Test Unit Three.

Figure 9. North Profile of Test Unit Three.

Figure 10. West Profile of Test Unit Three.

The foundations themselves were of some interest in their unusual construction methods. The southern expansion is unconnected to the east running foundation line, a gap of fill separates the two foundations. Architectural historian Mark Wenger studied this foundation and described the probable building sequence as follows: the eastern expansion of the building ended about a foot short of the later southern expansion. Some time after this first expansion there was further renovation of the structure. Likely a fireplace was added to the house, needing more support than a 1½ course brick foundation for support, the eastern portion of the house was partially knocked down and bricks were added to the foundation to the east, but not to the full cellar depth, rather, four courses from the top of the remaining foundation this chimney support was built directly on top of subsoil. At some later date, this renovation was demolished, and a new wall was built in its place, extended further south than the original foundation, creating an "L" off the back of the house. Such a scenario explains the rubble sitting between and the differing depths of the two brick rows.

Test Unit 4

Excavation of Test Unit 4 was abandoned before features were identified or subsoil was reached. The initial location of the unit was found to be full of large roots. Rather than cutting through these roots and risking killing the trees, test unit four was moved 19.5 inches (50 cm) west of its original location. The unit was excavated to a depth of 8.5 inches (22 cm) before it was abandoned.

Test Unit 5

Test Unit 5 was located just north of the parking lot. Below a 9.5 inch (24 cm) topsoil layer, this test unit extended an additional 10 inches (26 cm) to subsoil. Brick, mortar and charcoal inclusions were heavy toward the top of the unit, but by 4.5 inches (12 cm) below topsoil the inclusions were becoming infrequent. Clear, unleaded glass found in this unit gave it a TPQ of 1864.

Figure 11. Profile of Test Unit Five.

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