Field and Lab Methods
The South Grove Midden was excavated over the course of five field seasons from 1990 to 1995 and included a total of 8 10x10 foot test units. This multi-year project, led by Dennis Pogue and Esther White, resulted in the excavation of 400 contexts, 226 midden layers, 7 associated with the builder’s trench for the brick drain, and 1 associated with the brick drain. Excavators water-screened midden layers, taking flotation and soil chemical samples from each. Layers from the builder’s trench were dry-screened through ¼” mesh, with soil chemical samples collected. Twentieth-century layers and intrusions were dry-screened through 3/8” mesh and nineteenth-century layers were primarily dry-screened through ¼” mesh, and both sampled for soil chemicals. Nearly 300,000 artifacts, ecofacts, and faunal remains and 711 objects were found.
