Report of the Archaeological Investigations of the New Castle Court ...

NEW CASTLE COURT HOUSE PLAZA
NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE
3.0 FIELD RESULTS
Feature 25
Feature 25 was identified as a concave erosion trench cutting into intact subsoil within EUs 6, 8,
and 26. The lowest fill layer (SU E) appears to cap this feature, which has an overall length of 8.4
ft. and the depth of the excavated portion measured 0.32 ft. into the surrounding subsoil. A total
of 22 artifacts were recovered from the sampled portion within EU 8. The assemblage includes
bone and oyster shell fragments, a 7/64th diameter ball clay pipe stem fragment, unidentified
bottle fragments, brick, and window glass fragments. A late seventeenth century occupation may
be inferred from the single pipe fragment.
Feature 37
Feature 37 appears to be a concave erosion trench, identified at the base of Feature 19, within the
subsoil in EUs 9, 24, and 27 on the east plaza (Plate 12). A section was sampled within EUs 9 and
24 and 129 artifacts including a chert flake, bone, clam and oyster shell fragments, ball clay pipe
bowl and stem fragments, brass straight pins, redware, pearlware, white salt-glazed stoneware,
Chinese export porcelain, unidentified bottle glass, an unidentified metal object, cut/wrought nail,
brick and mortar fragment, and window glass were recovered. Based on the undecorated
pearlware sherd, a TPQ of 1779 was assigned.
3.5.7 MODERN DISTURBANCE
Feature 50
Feature 50 was identified within EU 14 and is located near the southwestern corner of the circa
1732 section. This poured concrete footer, similar in morphology to Feature 6, which was
identified during the 1995 DSM fieldwork, cuts through the circa 1820 foundation sand and
measures 1.05 by 0.65 ft. in plan. Eleven artifacts were collected from the fill deposit overlying
this feature and recovered items include a brass button, one redware sherd, two cut/wrought nails,
and seven fragments of window glass. As previously mentioned, this feature appears to mirror
Feature 6 and was dated by the DSM to the ca. 1955 restoration.
Features 94 and 95
Feature 94 represents an earlier flagpole foundation partially overlain by Feature 95, the
foundation for the existing flagpole. Both are constructed of concrete with the flagpole set within
the center. The earlier foundation was identified after the east plaza foundation material was
removed. No artifacts were found in association with either feature.
3.5.8 POSSIBLE PALISADE TRENCHES
Three features were documented within the exposed sections of the excavated plaza that are likely
the remnants of palisade trenches. Two of these trenches, Features 24/29 and 27/45, extend
parallel with the southern façade of the Court House, while the third trench, Feature 39, is
orientated perpendicularly along the east side. No artifacts were recovered from the sectioned
portions which may indicate the early nature of these features. Supporting this notion is the fact
that every other documented feature was intrusive into this feature category.
Features 24 and 29
Features 24 and 29 represent the southern palisade trench, which has an east-west orientation and
extends nearly the full length of the circa 1820 plaza. The western edge of the trench begins at the
eastern side of the brick wall, Feature 58, on the western plaza and it appears to terminate within
EU 28 on the east plaza for a total feature length of approximately 73.5 ft. (Figures 5 and 6; Plate
13). It is unclear, however, if this point constitutes the eastern edge, or simply where it was
45