New Discoveries at Jamestown - Site of the First Successful English Settlement in America by J. Paul Hudson;John L. Cotter
page 18 of 79 (22%)
page 18 of 79 (22%)
|
perishable wooden structures that have left the least evident traces,
such as frame sheds for forges and wine presses, carpenters' shops, and buildings used by various artisans and craftsmen. So far, only two industrial structures are clearly recognizable (aside from kilns), although their precise use is not certain. One of these, on the edge of Pitch and Tar Swamp, was a nearly square, tile-floored workshop with a rough but substantial brick foundation supporting the framework of the walls. On the floor were 3 fireboxes, 2 of which were associated with a large chimney area. What was fabricated here has not yet been determined, although ceramic firing, brewing, distilling, and even ironworking, have been suggested. Proximity of pottery and lime-burning kilns, and a small pit where iron may have been smelted, may be significant. A second, very fragmentary brick foundation close to the present riverbank suggests a shop rather than a house, but lacks firebox evidence or other identifying features. It may be 18th- rather than 17th-century. [Illustration: NEAR THE FOUNDATION OF THE PROBABLE BAKE SHOP, A PAIR OF KILNS ONCE SERVED FOR SLAKING LIME, AND PERHAPS FOR FIRING POTTERY. BETWEEN THE KILNS WAS A FLAME-SCARRED PIT CONTAINING EVIDENCE OF IRONWORKING AND THE ROASTING OF BOG ORE FOR IRON.] Brick Walks or Paved Areas It is difficult to assign a use for certain areas which have been paved apparently with brick rubble, or, in more evident cases, by flatlaid |
|