Presentation by Elise Merchant

12/07/09

Encompasses Unit 5 from 2008 digging season.

Geophysical feature, wall feature found in Unit 5

Unit 6

1875 Atlas of the

City of

Providence

Hale Ives House

(JBH 46)

Harris Matrix by Sarah Baker

JBH 46 JBH 48

JBH 54

JBH 61

JBH 52

JBH 52

JBH 48

JBH 46

•Dark grayish brown soil color•Heavily root content

1 Edwards and Wells p. 612 FLMNH, Mean Cereamic Manufacturing Dates.3 U.S. Patent number 5,613,6194 Object Bio, Elise Merchant

JBH 48

JBH 46

•Declared based on soil color/composition change: sandy yellowish soil with high gravel content

1 Elise Merchant, Object Bio2 FLMNH, Mean Ceramic Manufacturing dates3 Parks Canada Glass Glossary4 CNEHA, “Telling Time in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century”5 Ansel, Evelyn, Object Biography: “Porcelain Fuse”, Final Report 20086 Edwards and Wells

TPQ date: 1893 (pencil fragment)Hale Ives House demolished around 19251 by

Marsden PerryGravel path installed most likely during Perry’s

occupation of the Brown House, running apparently through Unit 6 in the same direction as JBH 48

Students excavating Unit had actually hypothesized JBH 48 as a path based on consistency of gravel

Architectural rubble from the demolition of the Hale Ives House could have been used for “fill” for the path, or could have just been disturbed by the construction of the path

1 Yellin, Steffi, Final Report 2008

New context designated based on soil color change: same color as JBH 46 but mottled with yellow-orange

Patch in Southwest corner added after original designation of JBH 52 based on lack of consistency with JBH 48 (soil had low gravel content and featured the same mottling seen on the East side of the unit).

JBH 52 surrounding the contexts in the middle and having relatively low artifact content could lead to the hypothesis that this was the “natural” soil, and contexts JBH 48 and the ones below it were man-made depositions.

JBH 52

JBH 48JBH

52

1 FLMNH, Mean Ceramic Manufacturing Dates.2 Edwards and Wells

JBH 54

JBH 52

JBH 52

JBH 48

JBH 54Unit 5

•No distinct break with JBH 48•Still high gravel content, but sandier, denser soil, more tightly packed around the stones•No longer high content of architectural rubble•Same large stones and patches of mortar seen in Unit 5 begin to appear, especially in North side of context

Find Date

Mortar

Ridged piece of molded glass (corresponding to piece found in JBH 48)

1700s – Present1

Asphalt with cobblestone 1871 – present2

Small shard of slate

Concrete with gravel

Brick pieces

Whiteware 1830 – present3

5 x 5 thin flat metal piece

Cut nails 1791 – 19004

Cut spike 1798 – 18474

4.5 cm finishing nail 1900 – present4

1 Parks Canada Glass Glossary2 CNEHA, “Telling Time in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century”3 FLMNH, Mean Ceramic Manufacturing Dates.4 Edwards and Wells

JBH 61JBH

52

JBH 52

Find Date

Mortar

Bricks

Red Tiles (1 cm thick)

Green glass

Earthenware 1490 – 19001

Flat Iron Pieces (architectural?)

Cut nails 1791 – 19002

Plastic Report Cover Sliding Bar

1984 – present3

Slab of marble

•Wall-like feature composed of sizeable rocks•Same as feature found in Unit 5

1 FLMNH, Mean Ceramic Manufacturing Dates.2 Edwards and Wells3 Giblin, et al., March 1986, U.S. patent number 4,575,123

http://static.www.odcdn.com/pictures/us/od/sk/lg/429258_sk_lg.jpg

The path was destroyed during the construction of the parking lot in the North side of the yard. The exact date for the construction of the parking lot (and destruction of the path) is unknown. The most recent proposal plan for the parking lot dates to 1964, and an undated map found in a box with a label dating up through 1988 shows the parking lot in place on the property.1

Potentially, the destruction of the path and construction of the parking lot disturbed JBH 61, and the plastic binder clip was deposited at that time.1

JBH 48 could be the gravel and rubble remaining from the path which was not successfully removed from the site (assuming that the majority of the gravel was removed)

1 Personal Correspondance with Julie Pridham

•JBH 61 is fairly clearly some sort of architectural feature – potentially a wall or part of a foundation. Given the location of the unit in relation to what we know about the location of the former Hale Ives House, this feature was likely associated with that structure.

JBH 46: Modern topsoil layerJBH 48: Archaeological and photographic evidence

to support the hypothesis that the gravel and rubble fill of JBH 48 is the remnants of a gravel path which ran through the yard. This path was most likely built by Marsden Perry, following the demolition of the Hale Ives House in the 1920s.

JBH 52: Relatively undisturbed “natural” soil, based on appearance on both sides of the path/wall contexts

JBH 54: Potentially bottom layer of path or just soil layer underlying path

JBH 61: Wall feature, potentially part of Hale Ives House – problematic TPQ date, potentially explained by disturbance during construction of parking lot