Having seen scores of powder houses in my 'holidays' looking at 
arsenals and  citadels from Canada to Poland I have to agree with Lyle. 
Brouage fort(birthplace of Champlain)  in western France has both a ice 
house and a powder magazine but i can't remember the former.

paul


On 09/08/2010 20:54, Lyle E. Browning wrote:
> A powder house would usually have a roof that would blow off if the building blew up, plus it would have a doorway so that powder could be moved in and out, usually in the end wall. Some of them had wall within wall construction to minimize outward force, but all had a very weak roof to force the explosion gasses upward to do the least damage. I think the NRHP nomination for Bellona Arsenal outside Richmond, VA has info, plans and photos of theirs which dates to the second quarter of the 19th century.
>
> The way your building is constructed with the large slabs on top, the sides would blow out. So a powder house is not a workable solution.
>
> Lyle Browning, RPA
>
>
> On Aug 9, 2010, at 2:26 PM, Snow, Cordelia, DCA wrote:
>
>> Sounds like a powder house to me.
>>
>> Dedie Snow
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
>> Travis Shaw
>> Sent: Monday, August 09, 2010 12:06 PM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: Mystery Building
>>
>> Coal storage perhaps?
>>
>> Travis Shaw, M.A.
>> R.C. Goodwin and Associates
>>
>> On Aug 9, 2010 1:59 PM, "Nichole Sorensen Mutchie"<
>> [log in to unmask]>  wrote:
>>
>> Hello.
>> A colleague has been working on a site in Frederick, Maryland and
>> uncovered an interesting building.  We need your help figuring out what
>> the structure could be.  Her description is below, pardon the
>> lengthiness.  Please email me if you'd like to see pictures.  Thank you!
>>
>> ---------
>> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>> Based on historical documents and information about other structures in
>> the immediate vicinity, this structure was built between 1800-1832. It
>> is constructed of limestone with locally sourced sand mortar.
>>
>> The structure's foundations extend 80-90 centimeters below historic
>> ground surface.
>>
>> The longer walls measured approximately 24 inches in thickness, the
>> shorter walls about 18 inches.
>>
>> The stones were faced and the exterior of the building was whitewashed.
>> The structure was buried in the 1930s when the area was being leveled to
>> build a concrete block factory; from the time it was completed until
>> 1939, the entire structure was above-ground. The stones on its east side
>> are an outcropping of bedrock. The structure was not built into a bank.
>>
>> There is no evidence of multiple building episodes - the structure
>> appears to have been built this way on purpose. The stone slabs and the
>> mortared top were integrated into the walls of the structure - these
>> weren't added later. The slabs' sides were faced and mortared like the
>> other wall stones, and they were also whitewashed.
>>
>> The three stone slabs across the top of the structure were covered with
>> mortar, the holes filled with smaller stones, the entire thing covered
>> with more mortar and topped off with large flat pieces of slate. Each
>> slab weighs almost half a ton - these were HUGE and had to be removed
>> with a Gradall.
>>
>> The only opening in the entire structure is in the west wall. This
>> consists of a small iron door, like an oven door, which offers an
>> opening of about 1 foot square. There is no chimney or other outlet
>> anywhere.
>>
>> The interior of the building is open space - there is no evidence of
>> shelves, kiln or oven furniture, or a brick or stone floor. The floor is
>> dirt, and seems to have a normal soil profile. There are some artifacts
>> inside but these appear to be related to a rat or mouse nest that was
>> located inside the building - i.e., chewed animal bones, small bits of
>> pottery and glass, etc.
>>
>> The interior shows no evidence of burning - i.e., soot, blackening or
>> other discoloration on the interior of the building, ashes, charcoal, or
>> coal. None of the artifacts appear burned.
>>
>> In summary, this building, made of hand-shaped limestone blocks, was
>> painstakingly constructed and was not modified. It is essentially a
>> limestone box with only one small door, but wouldn't have worked as any
>> of the following (as far as anyone can tell so far):
>>
>> Storage/Granary/silo/cold cellar/root cellar: the opening is too small.
>> It would have been impractical to try to get anything in or out. Most of
>> building was above ground.
>>
>> Kiln/Oven: No chimney, no internal structure, no evidence of burning.
>>
>> Springhouse: Again, the size of the opening makes this unlikely. Nobody
>> could get inside to store anything. Also, according to the Maryland
>> Geological Survey, NO SPRING.
>>
>> Drying house: these were typically frame structures and had a particular
>> design - this is no good for that.
>>
>> Smokehouse: No burning, no way for smoke/heat to get out to smoke
>> anything. Opening too small.
>>
>> Barn foundation: No good - this building stood 6-7 feet above ground.
>>
>> Privy: Too big, not deep enough, and how would anyone get in?
>>
>> Wellhouse/wellhead: couldn't get water out?
>>
>> Crypt/burial: The residents were founding members of the local cemetery
>> and are all buried there. No burials inside.
>>
>> Summer Kitchen/Bakeoven: No chimney, dirt floor, totally enclosed
>> roof/top, limited access, no burning.
>>
>>
>> Any ideas?
>>
>> Nichole E. Sorensen-Mutchie, M.S, RPA
>> Archaeologist
>> Maryland Department of Transportation
>> State Highway Administration
>> 707 N. Calvert Street, CLL-4
>> Baltimore, MD 21202
>> 410-545-8793 (office)
>> 410-209-5046 (fax)
>> [log in to unmask]
>> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>>
>>
>> Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail, including all attachments is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited unless specifically provided under the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and destroy all copies of this message. -- This email has been scanned by the Sybari - Antigen Email System.