Data Recovery Excavations of the Carriage House, Greenhouse, and Greenhouse/Carriage House Well at Gore Place, Waltham, Massachusetts Prepared for: Gore Place Society 52 Gore Street Waltham, MA 02453 Prepared by: Christa M. Beranek, J.N. Leith Smith, and John M. Steinberg With contributions by Michelle G. Styger, Heidi Krofft, and Rita A. DeForest Fiske Center for Archaeological Research University of Massachusetts Boston Cultural Resources Management Study No. 45 March 2011 ABSTRACT Excavations and ground penetrating radar at Gore Place in Waltham, Mas- sachusetts, examined the original 1793 carriage house site, the 1806 green- house, and the greenhouse/carriage house well, all associated with Christopher and Rebecca Gore. The carriage house was moved in 1968, and its cellar was fi lled at that time. Mechanical removal of the fi ll in a portion of the carriage house cellar revealed that the lower portion of at least the rear (north) founda- tion wall is well preserved along with the cellar fl oor. Documentary evidence indicated that the carriage house cellar had been used for manure (compost) preparation, while the fi rst fl oor was used to house horses and to store garden- ing tools and fi rewood. Four excavation units set into the cellar fl oor revealed no evidence of its former use for manure production (such as organic staining) indicating that it had been thoroughly cleaned. The artifacts present in the fl oor units represent a considerable time period from that of the Gores through to the early 20th century. The majority of objects date to the Gore period, and the wide variety may refl ect the incorporation of refuse into manure production. Investigations north of the structure showed that some of the soil in the parking lot constituting the western portion of Gore’s vegetable garden was removed and replaced with a uniform mixture of sand and gravel, probably at the time the carriage house was moved. While the gravel is at least 2 m deep close to the carriage house foundation, its depth lessens with distance north- ward, since shovel testing in 2004 showed intact dark brown loamy soil begin- ning at a depth of 35 to 50 cm below driveway gravel and sand bedding at 20 and 40 m north of the carriage house foundation. Early 19th-century maps indicated that the greenhouse was roughly 60 feet (18 m) long and 15 to 21 feet (up to 6.5 m) wide with a small extension on the west end. Fifty-two square meters were excavated at the west end, uncover- ing the trapezoidal brick fl oor of the extension and an associated stone drain, ground surfaces contemporary with the greenhouse, post holes for a fence that separated the greenhouse area from the carriage house, layers relating to the greenhouse’s destruction (early 1840s), and later landscaping features includ- ing a stone wall and two drains. Documentary, archaeological, and geophysi- cal data suggest that the greenhouse was a formal space intended to grow and display exotic plants and that it was built in the relatively new lean-to style, with a tall back wall and short front wall. The artifact assemblage included architectural elements, tools and small fi nds related to the greenhouse opera- tion (including the remains of at least 149 planting pots), and bone stockpiled for soil enrichment. The greenhouse was constructed by the Gores during a period of intense interest in agricultural experimentation by members of the Massachusetts commercial and political elite. Scholars have argued that these men used the positive associations of agriculture to offset some of the contemporary negative connotations of commerce. This report examines the greenhouse both as a space for the display of exotic plants in the context of this scientifi c agricultural movement and posits that Rebecca Gore may have played a signifi cant role in managing it. MANAGEMENT SUMMARY A master landscape plan was developed by Halvorson Design Partnership of Boston to restore the house and grounds of Gore Place, the late 18th- and early 19th- century estate of Christopher and Rebecca Gore in Waltham and i Watertown, Massachusetts. Archaeological investigations were recommended by the master plan to determine the location and assess the integrity of land- scape features that had the potential to be included in the restoration effort. The Gore Place Society, which owns and maintains the estate, contracted the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Massachusetts, Boston in 2004 for preliminary excavations across the property. By 2008 addi- tional investigations were desired by the Society to examine the new carriage house site, which encompassed the original site of the carriage house and the Gore-period greenhouse. These excavations, conducted under State Archaeolo- gist permit #3052, consisted of 52 sq m of contiguous excavation over the west extension of the greenhouse, excavation of the northeast corner of the carriage house cellar, and 2 sq m around the greenhouse/carriage house well. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank the Gore Place Society for their commit- ment to using archaeology to assist the interpretation of their historic struc- tures and landscape and for their support of this project. At Gore Place, special thanks to Scott Clarke and to Lana Lewis for their assistance in the fi eld and the archives, respectively. Vivian Sinder Brown, an independent researcher working with Gore Place, generously shared her discoveries related to green- houses. Additional thanks to Halvorson Design for assistance in scanning the large format maps, John Schoenfelder for establishing the site grid, and to Brian Damiata for contributions to the geophysical data collection and analy- sis. Melody Henkel took most of the artifact photographs. We would also like to acknowledge the hard work of the UMass Boston students who have con- tributed to this project. The fi eld crew for this phase included Pete Gangemi, Andrew Wilkins, Kate Johnson, Michelle Rosado, Tom Kutys, and Kaitlin Deslatte. Sally Stephens was responsible for the artifact processing and cata- loging, assisted by Heather Capitanio, Rachel Scheckman, and Anna Hayden. Andrew Wilkins performed iron stabilization treatment. Pete Gangemi geo- referenced the historic maps, and Katharine Johnson digitized the archaeo- logical features. Kathryn Catlin and Katelyn Coughlin helped to produce the GIS-based fi gures, and Jennifer Poulsen did proofreading for this report. Heidi Krofft, Rita DeForest, and Michelle Styger all conducted specialist analyses on the collection, parts of which are presented in this report. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract i Management Summary i Acknowledgements ii Chapter 1: Background Information 1 Introduction 1 Scope of Work 2 Research Questions 4 Field and Laboratory Methods 4 Archaeogeophysics 5 Ground Penetrating Radar 6 Project Location and Environmental Context 8 Occupation History of Gore Place 9 Gore Occupation ca. 1786-1834 9 Lyman Occupation ca. 1834-1838 9 Greene Occupation ca. 1838-1856 10 Walker Occupation ca. 1856-1907 10 Episcopal Church Ownership ca. 1907-1911 10 Metz Occupation ca. 1911-1921 10 Waltham Country Club Occupation ca. 1921-1935 10 Gore Place Society Occupation ca. 1935-present 10 Chapter 2: The Carriage House 11 Introduction 11 Carriage House History 11 2004 Archaeological Investigations 17 2008 Archaeological Investigations 18 Carriage House 18 Carriage House/Greenhouse Well 25 Chapter 3: The Culture of Horticulture in Early 19th-century Massachusetts 29 Introduction 29 Agricultural Activities at Gore Place 31 The Rise of Private Greenhouses 33 Greenhouse Terminology and Forms by Christa Beranek and Heidi Krofft 34 Terminology 35 Heat and Light: Furnaces, Flues, and Windows 36 Hot Beds 37 Maintaining a Greenhouse 38 Sources for Comparison 39 Quebec City 39 iii Maryland and Virginia 39 Pennsylvania 39 Massachusetts 40 Chapter 4: The Greenhouse Excavations 43 Introduction 43 Greenhouse Architectural Remains and Early Ground Surfaces 44 Deposits Associated with the Roadway 48 Features Around the Greenhouse 50 Feature 3: Linear Clay Feature 50 Feature 6: Possible Planting or Soil Preparation Bed 50 Post Holes: Features 13, 16, 19, 20, 21/24, 23/25, 28 52 Feature 9: Curving Wall Base 55 Later Ground Surfaces and Features 56 Northern Ground Surfaces 58 Feature 2: Northern French Drain 58 Feature 8: Southern French Drain 60 Greenhouse Destruction Layers 60 Dating the Demolition of the Greenhouse Extension 63 Landscaping Fills 64 Chapter 5: Specialist Analyses 65 Introduction 65 Architectural Artifacts by Heidi Krofft 65 Roofi ng and Flooring 65 Door Hardware and Locks 66 Windows 68 Other Latches and Hinges 69 Greenhouse Furnaces by Heidi Krofft 72 Window Glass 73 Glass Pane Sizes 74 Glass Sources 74 Glass Colors 74 “Save All The Bones You Can Lay Hold Of”: Evidence of the Production of Bone Manure At Gore Place by Michelle G. Styger 75 Laboratory Methods 76 Gore Place Faunal Assemblage 77 Discussion 79 Skeletal Part Representation 79 Animal Bones as Fertilizer 80 Conclusion 82 Planting Pots by Rita A. DeForest 83 Description of the Collection 84 Manufacture 85 iv Pot Sizes and Uses 87 Other Studies of Planting Pots 88 Other Specialty Materials 88 Chapter 6: Discussion and Interpretations 93 Recursive Use of GPR, Excavation, and Historical Maps 93 The Carriage House 97 Carriage House/Greenhouse Well 98 The Greenhouse 98 Date 98 Appearance 99 The Greenhouse as part of a System of Labor at Gore Place 101 Cultivating Gentlemen? 102 The Greenhouse and Scientifi c Agriculture 102 An Element of Display 103 Carriage House Relocation 103 Potential for Future Archaeological Excavations 104 Appendices 105 Appendix A: Artifact Catalog, including Faunal Data 106 Appendix B: Planting Pot Vessel Catalog 210 LIST OF FIGURES Frontispiece. Locations of all excavation areas at Gore Place to date. Note that in order to be visible, the STPs are shown larger than actual size and that 1 by 1 m excavation units are just visible at this scale.