This week it was decided that we move back south over the portion of the excavation begun before our arrival and bring it down to the end of the plow zone. This slowed the expansion of the site to the North and East but gave us the chance to experience excavating a feature. Though the feature in question was of 20th century origin, the skills learned in excavating and mapping it apply to features of any period. Another feature was unearthed in the eastern side of the site. It consisted of a group of stones situated on an east-west line through an entire unit. The north side of the feature shows few signs of brick and more mottling while the south side has heavy inclusions of both. It is believed the feature may have been the base of a 19th-century chimney that collapsed roughly to the south resulting in the heavy mottling of the soil in that direction.
Each week we are learning to identify artifacts more accurately and rapidly, but occasionally we are reminded just how difficult some artifacts are to spot and that care must be taken when screening excavated materials. This week a Native American axe head was nearly missed in the screen. Fortunately, it was spotted and identified but this served to remind us they we must always be alert when screening for artifacts.
---Paul Noe
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