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Datable ceramic evidence, and the presence or lack of presence of specific databletypes underneath the “Poor House” structure, seem to confirm that the “Poor House” wasconstructed during Benton Utley’s ownership between 1832 and 1837. Artifacts relating tostudent life in this period, such as writing slates, oil lamps, tobacco pipes, and marbles, werefound in association with the “Poor House.”There seems to be an assemblage of artifacts, related to eating and drinking in themid-nineteenth century, that overlaps the period of the “Poor House’s” existence andcontinues after its demise, and therefore does not seem to be directly related to studentsrenting rooms at the “Poor House.” Aspects of the assemblage are very like the commercialassemblage of the Tavern House and Eagle Hotel (e.g., the types of dishes, the amount of alebottles, wine bottles, and tumblers) located just across McCorkle Place. For reasons statedabove, it is not likely that students did a great deal of cooking and dining on their own in the“Poor House.” A possible explanation for the large kitchen and dining assemblage is thepresence of some kind of eating establishment catering to students, conducted by JonesWatson who owned the southern part of the lot from 1847 until 1872, and who held on to thenorthern part of the lot until 1882. Historical sources show that many people fed students intheir homes during this period. This also may be the basis for the claim in secondary sourcesthat Jones Watson ran a hotel (see Historical Background above).There are alternative or additional explanations that involve the use of the “PoorHouse” during the Civil War and after. We have no documentary sources for the “PoorHouse” during this period, but while the students were gone, during the Civil War and theperiod of the University’s closing, it may have been rented out for a variety of purposes,domestic or commercial. Battle (1907:751) relates that much economic hardship waspostponed until after the war due to the income provided by refugees from occupied townswho took up residence in Chapel Hill. It is conceivable that the “Poor House” was rented outto dislocated families during the war. If so, this may be the source for some of the dining andkitchen artifacts, including the ale bottles, that date to this period.Secondary sources relate that Roberson ran a drugstore in the hotel (see HistoricalBackground above), but the datable pharmaceutical evidence is associated more with theperiods before and after the hotel. Most of the datable molded bottles belonged to the 1860–1880 period, and most of the machine-made bottles, were associated with the fraternityhouse. Historical sources show that Jones Watson operated a store, and that his brother, adoctor, lived with him on the site, which may explain the large number of pharmaceuticalbottles.Although the drugstore at the hotel was not confirmed, the type of artifacts expectedat a hotel were found, such as the large number of toilet wares (washbasins in particular),and the large number of inexpensive Whiteware dishes, dating to the 1880s. Other itemspossibly related to the hotel include metal artifacts (e.g., horseshoes, hand tools, andhardware) that may have belonged to the hotel’s outbuildings.Cooking and dining do not appear to have taken place at the fraternity house, butmany personal and toiletry items of the period were found, in addition to a large number ofsoda bottles.58