An oblong pit originally constructed for soap-making using wood ashes to produce saleratus (potash or black salts) was excavated at the Robert Dunlap Farmstead (1831-1839) in Wood County, Ohio. The pit was later reused as a trash pit for the disposal of domestic refuse (tablewares, glass, metal, etc.) from the cabin.

Wood ashes, potash, or black salts (potash or evaporated, unrefined lye) was an important commodity during the pioneer days for local use in soap-making, or as a cash commodity during a period of timber clearing. Wood-ash lye was used on a large scale during the years of clearing land, particularly in Michigan and northern Ohio, in the manufacture of black salts. The lye water was boiled until the matter in solution took solid form which was then sold to traders or potash-makers for three or four dollars per hundred pounds. Field ashes would bring eight to ten cents per bushel. And, fireplace ashes would fetch 12.5 cents per bushel in goods or cash. Black salts and pearlashes (potash with carbon burned-out in ovens) sold for four to six dollars per hundredweight. Local asheries were developed to leach the wood ashes and burn-down the lye. Ohio marketed 6,800 tons of pot and pearlashes in 1840 which gives some indication as to the magnitude of this market in wood ashes or sale
 ratus.

Patrick Tucker, RPA
Firelands Archaeological Research Center
Amherst, Ohio