Hart Plaza

Site Name:

Hart Plaza (aka Civic Center Plaza )

WSUMA Accession Nos.:

1220, 1241,1279, 1280, 1282, 1283, 1284

Site No.:

20WN327

Excavated By:

Charles Martinez

Excavation Year(s):

1975, 1976

Site Description:

The planned construction of Hart Plaza spurred a salvage archaeological project headed by Charles Martinez. Phase II archaeological investigations commenced at the Hart Plaza site in 1975 and 1976 under the direction of Mr. Martinez. There were 13 features discovered within the site. These were mostly midden deposits, but there was also a privy identified. These features were dated to between 1830-1905.

In the 19 th century the site encompassed a commercial zone of stores, taverns and boarding houses. The broken tumblers and clay pipes recovered were most likely deposited during the 1830's when the Eagle Tavern was in operation. In the 20 th century, the site was used for warehouses.

Artifacts:

• Buttons :

  • 2 shell buttons

• Ceramics:

  • Nearly 2000 ceramic sherds were uncovered from the Hart Plaza site. 93% of these were earthenware
  • Stoneware (red, gray, black, brown and buff)
  • Porcelain
  • Earthenware
    • including: a plain white
    • white moulded
    • Rockingham glaze
    • transfer print (including red, brown, lavender, burgundy and black)
    • Gaudy Dutch
    • spatter ware
    • sponge ware
    • common yellow ware
    • mocha
    • sprig
    • scalloped blue banded edge
    • straight blue edge
    • flowing blue
    • blowing mulberry
    • red earthenware
    • creamware
    • pearlware
    • green edge.

• Construction Material:

  • brick and plaster (n=25)

• Clay pipes:

  • bowl and stem fragments (n=266)

• Faunal Remains:

  • animal bone and marine shell

• Glass:

  • flat glass (n=313); bottle glass (n=284).
    • Most of the bottle glass is olive green, and most probably the remains of wine bottles.

• Leather:

  • most leather is from boots and shoes (n=56)

• Metal objects:

  • square cut nails and spikes (n˜250)

• Wood:

  • Misc.: Wooden brush handles and other unidentified artifacts

Of the 435 objects surface collected from the site, 74% were ceramic sherds, 8% were flat glass, 6% were from glass vessels, 5% were metal pieces, and 4% were clay smoking pipe fragments.

Cat. Nos.:

1W377369 - 1W377547, 1W374911 - 1W375460, 1W376605 - 1W377331, 1W377348 - 1W377923, 1W377997 - 1W378225, 1W379001 - 1W379458, 1W374014 - 1W374500, 1W377332 - 1W377368

References:

• Martinez , Charles H. (1977) “Preliminary Report on Archaeological Investigation of Civic Center Plaza .” Unpublished manuscript on file at WSU Museum of Anthropology. [# 11W240]

Misc.:

A “site map.” It is very crude and drawn on notebook paper. Unpublished manuscript on file at WSU Museum of Anthropology. [# 11W1373]