Feature 51

Description

by H. Trawick Ward

Feature 51 was located inside Structure 12 at 224.2R5.2. This storage pit was observed at the base of plowzone as an almost circular stain of brown, ashy clay loam (Zone 2) that encircled an area of burned clay with a charcoal concentration (Zone 1). Excavation revealed the latter to be a thin lens only about a 0.2 ft in thickness. The Zone 2 soil maintained its consistency until near the pit bottom where increased amounts of yellow clay were encountered. The fill was rich in animal bones and contained numerous artifacts, including potsherds, glass beads, clay pipe fragments, gunflints, a bone knife handle, a few stone tools, and fire-cracked rock.

The pit bottom was slightly concave and the sides sloped inward at the bottom. It measured 2.4 ft in diameter and was 2.0 ft deep. This feature was rapidly filled soon after it ceased to be used for storage. The ashy content of the fill, as well as the upper lens of burned orange clay, may indicate that this soil and refuse was collected as part of cleaning activities around an area of food preparation and consumption.