Week 2 Update

David Gorman

June 17, 2011
Poplar Forest Field School

     The second week of the Poplar Forest Archaeological Field School found the students continuing to excavate a site that may be associated with a Jefferson-era stable. The excavation is being conducted in an area referred to as the Southeast Core located approximately 100 yards from the main house. Students continued digging through the plowzone, a mixed layer of soil churned by agricultural plowing in the 20th century. Due to the mixed nature of the plowzone it often contains artifacts from different eras in a single layer. Care has been taken to examine and analyze the artifacts and soil as an amalgamation of diverse time periods. Artifacts from this layer have included ceramics, bone, glass, nails, flecks of brick and charcoal, and fragments of iron tools. Most of these artifacts date to the mid-1800’s through the early part of the 1900’s.

    The excavation of the plowzone has revealed what we refer to as the “clay fill” layer. This layer consists of soil intentionally laid over this section of the Poplar Forest landscape to cover some sort of previous structure or landscape feature. It is still undetermined as to the exact time and by whom the clay fill was placed, but some clues may have surfaced this week. Excavating this layer was initially difficult, as the interface between the plowzone and clay fill consists of very tough soil. Artifact density has decreased significantly from the top layer, but of significance was a horseshoe nail, offering possible evidence of a stable. Students excavating in one unit have encountered what appears to be a feature; possibly a posthole from an Antebellum-era slave quarter. Another unit has come across a sizeable piece of brick, peculiarly found in the red clay fill. This brick may be what is referred to as a “waster,” or misfired brick that was discarded. Found next to this brick in the clay fill was a piece of a creamware platter. Creamware is a type of ceramic popular in the late 1700’s. These finds help date the layer as they would have been disposed contemporaneously with the fill. This may suggest that the layer was deposited around the time Jefferson was creating the retreat. Students will continue excavating into the layer beneath the clay fill, where remote sensing has detected an anomaly which may be one of the postholes from a Jefferson-era stable.

Images 1: Life at the site.

Image 2: Digging through the clay fill layer

Image 3: Screening the dirt.

Image 4: Students also started working in the lab this week. Behind the scenes pictures to come…

Image 5: Below the clay fill in one section of the site. Pockets of mortar and brick were found in this unit, and a possible posthole may also be present.

Image 6: A piece of a black transfer printed ceramic found at the interface between the plowzone and clay fill.

Image 7: Brick and creamware ceramic found in the clay fill. The brick is in the center of the photo and the creamware is in the bottom right.