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Forks of the Wabash Historic Park Huntington, Indiana 1989 |
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| The following are excerpts from the report created by Principal
Investigator Don Cochran in 1989. For a copy of the complete report, please contact us at
Historic Forks of the Wabash
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| Introduction
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| The Richardville/LaFontaine home
(12-HU-1013) located at the forks of the Wabash River in Huntington,
Indiana is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The
house was reportedly built prior to 1850 by either the Miami Chief,
Richardville, or his son-in-law, LaFontaine. A non-profit
organization, Historic Forks of the Wabash, Inc., has been organized to
maintain and develop the property which includes the house.
Current plans call for rehabilitation of the house and one component of
the plan includes archaeological excavations around the perimeter of the
house. The excavations were carried out between June 12 and June
16, 1989, and this report contains an accounting of that work.
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| Background
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| The Forks of the Wabash area has been an
important regional landmark throughout the historic period and was
probably of equal importance during prehistory. Important historic
events that occurred there included use by the Miami as a settlement area
and reserve, a landmark of the portage route between the Great Lakes and
the Mississippi River, a locality where treaties were signed and
annuities paid, and the residence of the Chief LaFontaine following the
death of Richardville. The residence continued to be occupied by LaFontaine's
descendents until the property passed out of Miami hands. The late
Luke Scheer obtained the property with the intention of establishing a monument
to the Miami. A detailed background of the property is contained in the
the Historic Structure Report by Craig Leonard (available in the library
of the Forks of the Wabash Historic Park.).
Through time the house has fallen into disrepair, undergone some renovation and is currently in need of restoration. It is to this problem that Historic Forks of Wabash has addressed their project. An architect specializing in historic renovations, Craig Leonard, has been hired and extensive documentary research has been completed. The architect has stressed the importance of obtaining archaeological information from the perimeter of the house prior to reconstruction and ARMS has been working with Historic Forks to obtain this end. An archaeological field school was originally planned, but was cancelled due to lack of registration. Historic Forks of the Wabash had obtained a grant from the Indiana Committee for the Humanities to allow public participation during the excavation of the site during the field school. When the field school was cancelled, a one week test excavation was planned to carry out the testing and allow public participation in the project. |
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| Purpose
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| The purpose of the excavations was to
determine the nature and extent of undisturbed archaeological deposits
associated with the perimeter of the residence. Disturbance to the
site had occurred through continued use as a residence into the
middle of this century, the construction of a highway bypass
around Huntington immediately east of the residence, and widening of SR
24 immediately in front (south) of the house. In addition,
wells, a septic system with laterals connecting a mobile house due north
of the residence, and use of the immediate area around the residence
as an outdoor laboratory (construction of a wigwam, fire pits, a sod
lean-to, etc.) and reconstruction of a log house northeast of the house
had added disturbance to the grounds around the house. A concrete
curb was constructed around the foundation of the house after it was
obtained by Luke Scheer. Despite of the evidence for extensive disturbance,
prehistoric and historic artifacts were evident in the drip line around
the house and some small areas appeared to remain relatively
undisturbed.
In addition to the excavations carried out for this project, a subsequent one day volunteer clean-up of spoil produced during removal of the porch on the east side of the house was carried out. The spoil consisted of disturbed soil located under the concrete slab. |
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| Methods
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| The excavations were conducted under Permit
#890006 issued by the Division of Historic Preservation Archaeology of
the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Prior to initiation
of testing , a permanent site datum and metric grid system were
established at the site for recording horizontal and vertical
provenience. Vertical provenience was recorded from unit datums
with elevations surveyed from the permanent site datum. The
elevation of the site datum was obtained through survey from a nearby
bench mark.
All units were hand excavated. Units with obvious disturbance were shovel scraped in arbitrary 10 cm levels to determine the depth to undisturbed deposits. Excavated soil was screened through 1/4" wire mesh with the exception of unit 9 where, in some levels, only 50% sample was screened to due prior disturbance. Features were mapped in plan view upon discovery, photographed, and at least 50% sample excavated. A sample feature fill was saved for flotation. A profile map and a photograph of the profile were completed following excavation of the feature. In situ diagnostic artifacts were mapped in place and placed into individual bags. Non-diagnostic artifacts were provenienced by unit, 10 cm levels and/or feature. All artifacts were taken to the ARMS laboratory for cleaning and analysis. ARMS will retain the artifacts until completion of the excavation report. Historic Forks of the Wabash, Inc will retain ownership and will curate the artifacts. Spoil from the porch area was divided into grid units and the loose dirt shoveled out and screened through 1/4" wire mesh. The clean up stopped where solid soil was reached. The spoil primarily consisted of a sand fill placed below the concrete slab. Some mixing of the original surface soil (i.e.. the surface that had existed below the original wooden porch decking) was mixed with the fill during removal of the concrete slab. Laboratory methods of the excavated materials followed standardized procedures for ARMS projects. Initially, artifacts were sorted into categories such as stone, bone, ceramics, glass, metal, etc. and all fragile specimens identified and stabilized. Following the initial sorting, the artifacts were cleaned, followed by a refined storing into more specific categories. Diagnostic artifacts were identified through comparison with ARMS reference collections, literature sources consultation with experts. Artifacts recovered by Becky Glenn during test excavations west of the house were also sorted into the categories used by ARMS. Artifacts recovered from the porch clean-up were also treated the same as other artifacts, but were tabulated and not otherwise described. Diagnostic artifacts were drawn and photographed for illustration in the final report. Flotation samples were processed and hand sorted and identified. The analysis of historic artifacts were the basis of an MA thesis written by Mr. Larry Stillwell, a member of the field crew at the site. Prehistoric artifacts were sorted into categories used by ARMS. As they were not the focus of the project, they were tabulated by provenience and diagnostic artifacts drawn. All records generated trough this project have been curated by ARMS. |
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| Results
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| During the project, a number of features, both associated
with the house and possibly dating to the prehistoric occupation of the site,
8 boxes of artifacts, flotation samples and stratigraphic details were
recovered. In the following sections of the report, a summary of
the units that were excavated is presented followed by a discussion of
the features. Historic artifacts are discussed in detail in Appendix
A and the prehistoric artifacts summarized in Appendix B. Faunal material
identification is contained in Appendix C. A listing of all
artifacts is given in appendix D.
Unit Summaries During the test, 10 excavation units were placed around the perimeter of the house. Every unit produced artifacts, features or information relevant to interpreting past activities at the site as well as information relevant to the planned reconstruction. A summary of the results of excavation follows. Units 1 and 2. Units 1 and 2 were located adjacent to each other and across the front entrance of the house. The units were placed across the entrance to determine whether walkways could be discovered and to record details of the foundation constructions. Both units revealed similar historic artifacts including fragments of flat glass, nails, window glazing, shutter hinges, pieces of shingles and bone, in addition prehistoric chart flakes. Several coins were found in the two units including the oldest recovered, an 1853 penny, and the most recent, a 1975 nickel. The remains of a concrete foundation underlying the recent footing were revealed in both units. Unit 3. Unit 3 was located on the east side of the house near the southeast corner. The unit was placed in the location to encounter pathways going around the house, remains of the grape arbor visible in early 20th century photographs, and details of the original foundation. The upper levels were found to consist primarily of fill containing a mixture of recent and late 19th and 20th century artifacts. The same type of foundation underlying the recent concrete footing was found in this unit as in Units 1 and 2. Below the historic levels, one feature, a dark brown soil stain, was discovered. Excavation of the feature failed to reveal whether it was of historic or prehistoric human origin or from animal activity. An abundance of prehistoric artifacts were recovered from the lower levels of this unit. Unit 4. Unit 4 was located on the east side of the house at the south east corner of the porch and due east of the outside doorway. The unit was placed in that location to determine details of the porch construction and, as with the previous units, walkways connecting the outside doorways with other buildings and other entrances of the house. The upper levels of the unit were filled with a wealth of historic artifacts, although they were mixed and obviously of recent redeposition. Below the disturbed levels, a soil profile similar to that detected in the other units was confirmed and a portion to the original porch foundation was uncovered. No walkways were encountered. Units 5 and 10 Unit 5 was located on the north end of the porch. The location of the unit was chosen to determine whether a pathway connecting the porch and the building formerly located at the rear of the house could be detected. Excavation of the unit revealed that a thin layer of soil and sod covered an area of concrete. The concrete was predominantly intact except for an area that extended beyond the northeast corner of the boundary of unit 5 into unit 10. Clearing of the limits of the broken concrete area and removal of the broken pieces of concrete revealed a filled-in well lined with river rocks. Further excavation of the upper portion of the fill in the well revealed a clay tile extending through the fill. Artifacts recovered from the fill suggested an early 20th century filling of the original well. Oral history collected by Craig Leonard indicated that the well had been covered by a wooden deck with a hand pump installed on it. Unit 6 and 7 Units 6 and 7 were combined into a trench 1 meter wide and 8 meters long running from the edge the cellar steps due north across the back yard of the house. The trench was located in that area in an effort to encounter the building that had been located behind the house. Excavation of the trench revealed a disturbed surface layer consisting of a segment of concrete sidewalk at the south end adjacent to the cellar steps and gravel further out form the house. The gravel despots were interpreted as being the remain of a driveway installed when the out building was converted to a garage sometime after 1930. Below the disturbed layer there was a dark brown soil layer containing significant quantities of ceramics, glass, metal, and bone. Deposits of ash were also present. Below the dark brown layer, prehistoric artifacts increased in proportion to historic artifacts. One piece of prehistoric pottery was found below the dark brown layer in unit 6. Unit 8 Unit 8 was located on the west side of the house immediately adjacent to the addition to the back of the house and outside of an original door in that corner of the house. The unit was placed at that location for the same purpose as the other units adjacent to outside doors, to determine whether walkways were present and to determine whether patterns of refuse disposal associated with outside doors were evident. Excavation of the unit revealed a layer of cracked limestone interpreted as a walkway. The same limestone layer was encountered in unit 9 further south on he same side of the house. Since an abundance and variety of artifacts appeared to immediately overlie the limestone layer, the unit was excavated so as to reveal the distribution of artifacts. The layer was not cut through due to a lack of time. Artifacts associated with the limestone layer appeared to date predominantly to the late 19th and early 20th century and included decorated ceramics, a bone disc, glass, nails, a metal fitting for an oil kerosene lamp, and an appreciable quantity of bone. The deposits of artifacts and bone appeared to represent kitchen debris thrown out the back door of the house. Unit 9. Unit 9 was located on the west side of the house and placed to cross cut the short, steep slope in the yard. The unit was placed in that location to determine the nature of the slope, i.e., did the slope represent the margin of an artificially leveled area immediately to the west, or was the house built upon an artificially raised mound. Excavation of the unit revealed a deposit of limestone that appeared to be an extension of the layer discovered in Unit 8. The surface deposit overlying the limestone layer was deeper toward the house suggesting that possibility of both filling around the house and subsequent downcutting toward the flattened yard to the west. One feature was encountered below the limestone layer in what appeared to be prehistoric deposits. Excavation of the feature, however, failed to clarify its nature. Unit 11 Unit 11 was located so as to incorporate a piece of limestone which, along with another nearby rock, local folklore maintained were corner stones of a council house reportedly built behind the chiefs' house. The unit was west of the north end of units 6/7 trench and due north of the house. Excavation revealed that the piece of limestone was part of the hearth associated with the foundation of a fireplace. This fireplace appears to be the one associated with chimney shown on the outbuilding in s 1930 photograph. The associations of the fireplace and the adjacent midden deposit in the units 6/7 trench suggested that the fireplace was used as a summer kitchen. Artifact analysis from this unit will focus upon trying to determine the age of the construction of the fireplace although it is currently hypothesized that it is approximately contemporary with the construction of the house. Following the excavation of unit 11 and recognition of the use of the building as a summer kitchen, the dark brown layer in units 6 and 7 was interpreted as a midden deposit. The deposit appeared to be stratified with older artifacts, such as clay pip fragments and a gun flint, on the bottom and more recent artifacts on top. Analysis of artifacts and faunal remains will address this hypothesis. |
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| Conclusion
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| In spite of the brevity of the field project, much was
accomplished and the goals of the test excavation project were
met. Despite the apparent disturbances around the house, intact archaeological
deposits remain at the site and an abundance of data was collected and
analyzed. This data will be useful for interpretive displays of
past occupation of the site, local historic, reconstruction of past life ways
within the region, comparisons with other similar sites with in he region, and
the planned reconstruction of the house.
The test excavations revealed two important points for consideration in reconstruction of the chiefs' house and development of the site for public education and interpretation. 1. Although considerable disturbance has occurred around the house and filling around the foundation has occurred, neither have been overly destructive to the archeological record associated with the house. In fact, the filling around the house has served as a protective cap over the archaeological deposits. 2. Testing revealed that features associated with the house and perhaps some prehistoric origin are present and contain significant archaeology al data relevant to interpretation of past human behavior and behavioral changes through time. Both of these points must be considered before any earthmoving in the vicinity of the house, or on the grounds around the house. Retesting revealed that significant deposits are present and that they are distrusted throughout the area tested. As is so often the case, the test has raised more questions that will be answered as a result of it. The project has also added another dimension to the importance of the chiefs' house, the archaeological significance of the site. In one sense significant archaeological deposits represent a blessing in the form of archaeological data that will enhance interpretation of the site, resolution of some of the folklore associated with the site, and a view of past human behavior and life ways at the forks of the Wabash obtainable through no other source. But this blessing places a serious burden on management and planning for the protection of the archaeological deposits. All decision regarding earthmoving, whether for renovation for the house or potential damage to the archaeological deposits and every effort must be made to avoid damage or destruction. It will only be through careful planning and management that the deposits remaining at the site will be protected. |
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| For a list of the artifacts found in the 1989 dig, please click here. | |
| Editor's note: the entire report can be obtained from Historic Forks of the Wabash. | |
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