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Archaeological Investigations 2001
Bowen's Prairie Historic Archaeological District
Jones County, Iowa
- - A Mystery Structure? - -
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Intro |
District |
Settlement |
Road |
13JN152 |
13JN168 |
13JN169 |
13JN203 |
13JN196 |
Mystery | Artifacts |
Celebrities |
Q&A |
References |
Links
General Contracts
Program | OSA
Research
| Archaeologists are frequently surprised by unexpected
discoveries when researching sites. At the Bowen's Prairie townsite
(13JN152), they encountered one of the most surprising of the field
season. The foundation of a large structure emerged in the southeastern
portion of the excavated area just north of U.S. Highway 151. It
appeared as a series of 15 evenly spaced rows of limestone rubble
each running in an east-west direction. Each row was approximately
one meter wide |
Mystery structure defined by
linear ridges of limestone rubble |
| and was separated from the adjoining row by a space
approximately 30-40 cm in width. Few artifacts were present. Consultation
with historic archaeologists and architectural historians suggests
that it may represent the rammed earth foundation of a large building.
Rammed earth construction, a new innovation in eastern North America
in the 1850s, had been used in the Old World for centuries. At Bowen's
Prairie, the rows of limestone rubble probably represent the remains
of fill packed into a series of narrow ditches to form the support
for a timber superstructure. The fill was typically watered down
and tamped to provide a solid foundation perhaps half a course in
height. Wooden joists and floor were laid over top. The empty spaces
between the rows possibly offered ventilation to a granary above.
Soil samples removed from the feature will be analyzed for the presence
of plant remains such as charred seeds, which could confirm the
proposed function of the structure. |
Cross-section of spaced limestone rows
Intro |
District |
Settlement |
Road |
13JN152 |
13JN168 |
13JN169 |
13JN203 |
13JN196 |
Mystery | Artifacts |
Celebrities |
Q&A |
References |
Links
General Contracts
Program | OSA
Research
Text by Lynn M. Alex; photos by General Contracts Program.
Updated by Mary De La Garza, August 2007.
Designed by Tricia R. Bender
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