Could these posts be scaffolding posts used during the construction of the building? I have found scaffolding posts associated with brick chimneys and houses and they do vary in size. Your posts sound like they are a bit larger, however. For what its worth... Susan C. Andrews Wilbur Smith Associates Lexington, Kentucky ----- Original Message ----- From: "Douglas C. Wilson" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 4:53 PM Subject: Powder Magazine at Fort Vancouver > Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Washington (near > Portland, Oregon) contains the remains of a 1829-1860 Hudson's Bay Company > trading post, headquarters, and supply depot. The park is currently > researching the history and archaeology of the ca. 1832 powder magazine. > The historical record identifies a magazine variously as a vaulted brick, > brick and stone, or stone structure, about 18 ft. square. Excavations in > 1947 (Caywood) and 1972 (Hoffman and Ross) identified a foundation composed > of stone rubble and coral-derived lime placed in a shallow trench filled > with silty clay. Hoffman and Ross (1974:81) suggest that the foundation > was made from a shallow trench, approximately 2 ft. wide, soaked with > water, then filled with stone rubble mixed with coral lime. A large, flat > stone laid and centered along the northern wall may represent a sill for a > door. Bricks did not appear to be part of the foundation, but were probably > associated with the walls of the structure above. These were almost all > British statute-size bricks which are consistent with Gurke's (1982) Type > 01 brick. Post casts were identified in the southeast (Feature 483) and > northeast (Feature 491) corners of the rubble fill foundations. The casts > were 10 in. (25 cm) square and were excavated deep below the Magazine > foundations (1.4 to 1.5 ft. [43-46 cm]). Contrary to Caywood's (1947) > findings, these features suggested squared timbers, and only a single cast > was recorded in the southeast corner (as compared with the two post casts > shown in Caywood's 1947: Plate 3). There was very little wood found in the > casts. Caywood's excavations previously identified posts in the northwest > and southwest corners of the foundations. > > The function(s) of the posts on the outside edges of the stone foundation > is unknown. Does anyone have other examples of excavated small brick > structures with post casts and have some good ideas on how these posts may > have functioned? We are also interested in brick bonding patterns, brick > vaulting, flooring, roofing and other architectural details. We have one > image that shows that the structure had a pyramidal roof and there is some > tenuous evidence for tin-shingled roofing (for fire-protection). Other > people's experience with archaeological or still-standing structures from > the 18th or 19th centuries would be greatly appreciated. > > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Douglas C. Wilson, Ph.D. > Archaeologist > Vancouver National Historic Reserve > Fort Vancouver National Historic Site > 612 East Reserve Street > Vancouver, Washington 98661 > > Phone: (360) 696-7659 x24 > Fax: (360) 696-7657 >