The 2024 archaeological field season wrapped up in late August. Much of our work during the final month was concentrated on the area of the north wall trench of the house. It first appeared as a strip of brown sand with clay and charcoal cutting into the yellow beach sand.
One of the unusual things about this trench is that it falls right along one of our grid lines. We dig in 5’x5’ squares according to a grid first laid out as part of the initial 1959 excavation. Rebar was sunk every fifty feet. At the beginning of a project wood stakes are pounded into the ground at ten-foot intervals. The grid strings are strung between the stakes each season. By extending over the entire site, the master grid allows us to tie all of our projects together on the same map. It is entirely coincidental when a house wall lines up with the grid.
One section of the wall trench still contained two fragmentary posts. The fragmentary wood posts are indicated with red arrows on the image. Because of the way the wall trench falls along the grid line, only the north half of the trench was excavated this season.
Now the site is packed and ready for winter. The 2025 field season will begin June 7. Stay tuned to this blog for any interesting discoveries in the lab this winter.
