Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

Excavation work at this site disclosed that the foundation for this building paralleled Duke of Gloucester Street, being five feet south of the street line. Its west wall also ran parallel to Botetourt Street and was two feet three inches east of the street line. Modern foundation walls of a store wrecked in 1954 extended partly along the outside of the north wall and also along the outside of the west wall. These later walls were not entirely removed as the original foundation could be examined and traced without this extra work being done. These later walls were also allowed to remain at the rear of the colonial foundation, as well as a considerable part of the fill in the basement which was not fully excavated cross-trenching every three feet being found sufficient to disclose any evidence necessary in connection with this early building. Modern piers were also left standing in the basement fill which had not been removed.

East of the main foundation a paved area of tiles of two sizes and fragmentary brick was disclosed. This seemed to extend over onto the adjoining property and was not fully traced. The tiles were badly cracked and the surface in general appeared to have been pushed up on the center giving the paving a camber. This seemed to have resulted from the growth of a large tree which overhangs at this location. It was generally noticed that this paving although being about 6" below the existing grade, seemed to have been in the ground some considerable time due to the general appearance of the work and the dilapidated state of the tile.

South of the foundation about twenty-four feet and practically on a line with the east wall, a well was uncovered which had been used until recent years. It is cleaned out and is in good condition. The walls are constructed of three-quarter bricks running parallel with the well's curvature. Bricks are worn considerably and the well seems to have been used for an extended period. The inside bas been plastered down from the top about two feet.

The remainder of the lot back to Francis Street was cross-trenched but disclosed no further evidence of the building shown on the Frenchman's Map, slight indications of modern construction being unearthed at intervals throughout.

DESCRIPTION OF CONDITION OF FOUNDATION

Portions of the main walls had been entirely removed, noticeably the south wall and the southern half of the east wall. A triangular chimney in the south wall, together with the basement entrance steps serve in establishing the depth of the building, as part of the south wall had been incorporated in the chimney foundation and the bottom step of the basement entrance.

The building had its longer face which was found to be 40'1", facing the Duke of Gloucester Street, and its shorter face which was 34' ¾" facing Botetourt Street. The walls were found to average 1' 5¼" in thickness, including a partition wall which ran east and west approximately through the center of the building, thus dividing the basement into two halves, and having evidence of a basement door connecting these two portions near the 3 west wall.

The south half of the foundation disclosed a triangular shaped chimney foundation on the south wall as previously mentioned. It had accommodation for two fireplaces on the first floor. This would again divide the south portion into two chambers.

The west wall continues past the south wall to form the cheek for the basement entrance which is located on the southwest corner of the main building. Wood nosings to the basement steps are missing, probably being burnt out and the remainder of the brick treads and risers are badly worn down and demolished near the grade. Both cheeks had been partly demolished but their extent could be traced and measured without much difficulty.

The north half of the foundation west of Duke of Gloucester Street shows a pier on the interior of the north wall. This pier is not bonded and is at a lower depth than the bottom of the main wall. Very little of this pier remains and it is not apparent as to how high it actually stood. The main wall at this point rises practically to grade, but the pier is not more than about twelve inches in height.

Where the partition wall and the east wall originally joined and where portions of these walls are missing, a fragmentary foundation was uncovered in this corner. These remains would serve to give the impression of having been a foundation for a corner fireplace, although this cannot be fully borne out, due to the demolished condition of the walls and what little evidence remains of the brick formation at this point.

The original basement floor paving seems to have been taken up as slight fragments of paving were discovered at the bottom of the basement 4 steps, examination of which showed that they were laid on the original yellow green clay bed which permeates the site. The elevation of the top of these fragments was read and recorded at 78.92' as the basement floor grade, which is exactly one brick course by measurement above the bottom of the main foundation walls. There may be further evidence of this paving under unexcavated fill but it was not noticeable in the trenching completed at this time.

The basement fill consisted of a two foot layer of brick bats and builder's refuse, containing fragments of pottery of a nineteenth century character, with a finished layer of loam about one foot in depth to grade.

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