Nov. 5

Our team resumed excavation this week after an unexpected hiatus caused by Hurricane Sandy. Last time we ended with Context 5, which consisted of a rubble layer along the southeast expanse of the trench. Today we began by opening context 6. However, before doing so we removed debris that had accumulated in the past two weeks, mostly leaves. Upon opening the context, the soil was still quite damp and a tad muddy from the storm, however after troweling a few centimeters we reached the context, a pale sandy colored clay composition.

While troweling we came across a distinctive piece of ceramic, which some team members hypothesized might be a pipe. The ceramic was burgundy in color and concave, although the pieces were never fully completed and thus were fragmentary in nature. At this context, unlike the previous ones, there were few glass buts, but still a couple metal ones. Additionally, the topography of the trench started to level out a but more, whereas before the northeastern and southeastern corners sunk, and the north western corner was higher. When a new soil composition was discovered we closed the context, properly documenting it with both the total station and photography. In addition to excavating, I volunteered to keep the photo log, recording photos for both trenches that day.

Context 7 was opened and is characterized by rocky inclusions and a matrix that is not only sandy but also grayish in color. Excavation continued as usual, seeing further leveling of the site and less differences in elevation within the trench. Another whole was revealed next to the foundation in the northwest corner. More metal and similar “pipe” ceramic fragments were found. The foundation of Hope College, along the westen edge of the trench, which was seen to be sloping eastwards in previous contexts, now stopped sloping and proceeds vertically into the ground. The context was closed at the end of the day, as the daylight was waning.