Several years ago, a large buried barrel,  filled with architectural debris
and other items in the 1860s, was identified at an 1850s-1880s east-central
Iowa townsite (Bowen's Prairie), only  15 miles from the Dubuque County
border (Snow 1996). The barrel had a high degree of integrity with metal
barrel straps and wood intact.  The barrel was a minimum of 1.5 m
top-to-bottom and approx. 2.4 m in diameter--really big. The most common
feature that incorporated large buried barrels like this would be a cistern
or well (Brown 1995; Rotenstein 1995; Walitscheck 1995). However, Hurry
(1995) suggested that a large buried barrel such as this may have been used
as a vat for scalding hogs. Another possible use would be as a tanning vat.

Given that only a small portion of the feature was excavated, exact
function was not determined. If you need more info., please contact me
off-list.



Brown, Jane
1995    Comments on the HISTARCH Internet listserv, November 15, 1995.
Listserv owner: Anita Cohen-Williams.
Hurry, Silas
1995    Notes on Subterranean Barrels. Comments on the HISTARCH Internet
listserv, November 15, 1995. Listserv owner: Anita Cohen-Williams.
Rotenstein, David S.
1995    Comments on the HISTARCH Internet listserv, November 21, 1995.
Listserv owner: Anita Cohen-Williams.
Snow, Susan
1996    Phase I and Phase II Investigations of Seven Sites within the Proposed
Historic District of Bowen's Prairie, US 151 (NHS-151-3(84)-19-57), Segment
4, Jones County, Iowa. Volumes 1-3. Contract Completion Report 477. Office
of the State Archaeologist, The University of Iowa, Iowa City.
Walitschek, David
1995    Comments on the HISTARCH Internet listserv, November 27, 1995.
Listserv owner: Anita Cohen-Williams.









At 08:32 AM 20/12/01 -0600, you wrote:
>Listers:
>
>During a recent Phase II excavation in Dubuque, we examined a feature that
>was described as a cistern, however, the artifacts recovered from the
>excavation included a large number of barrel hoop fragments as well as a lot
>of household trash.  An Internet search turned up a reference to an
>excavation in Minnesota where two features with intact barrel hoops were
>uncovered.  The interpretation there was that rain barrels had been
>partially buried to half their height and besides their original function
>had also been used as trash barrels.
>
>My questions:  Has this type of feature been identified at other sites here
>in the US? or elsewhere?  How common is this practice?  Is there any ethnic
>correlation?  References always welcome.
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
>Donna Stubbs                             HDR Engineering, Inc.
>Archaeologist                                6190 Golden Hills Dr.
>(763)591-5442                              Minneapolis, MN  55416
>mailto: [log in to unmask]
>
>
Cynthia Peterson
Project  Archaeologist
Office of the State Archaeologist
700 CLSB
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa 52242

(319) 384-0726
[log in to unmask]