THE HOFF STORE SITE AND GOLD RUSH MERCHANDISE FROM SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA ALLEN G. PASTRON AND EUGENE M. HATIORI, Editors /F-=·- PUBLISHED BY CHARLES P. KIMBALL, NOISY CARRIER'S PUBLISHING HALL. SPECIAL PUBLICATION SERIES, NUMBER 7 Society for Historical Archaeology The Society for Historical Archaeology OFFICERS MARY C. BEAUDRY. Boston University : President GARRY WHEELER STONE, New Jersey OjJice of Envltonmental Protection Past President RODERICK SPRAGUE. University of Idaho President-Elect STEPHANIE HOLSCHLAG RODEFFER. NationalParkService Secretary-Treasurer RONALD L. M1cHAEL. California University ofPennsylvania Editor NORMAN BARKA. Collegeof William and Mary NewsletterEditor PAuL F. 10HNSTON, AdvisoryCouncilon Underwater Archaeology Chairman DIRECTORS 1987-1989. PAMELA CREsSEY. Alexandria Urban Archaeological Program DoUGLAS D. Scan, NationalPark Service 1988-1991 RONALD D. ANzALoNE, AdvisoryCouncilOnHistoricPreservation ELizABETH 1. REm. l;niversityofGeorgia 1989-1993 GLENNJ. 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Make checks payable to the Notification of new articles, books, or manuscripts dealing Societyfor Historical Archaeology. withhistoricalarchaeology shouldalsobe sentto the Newsletter Manuscripts submitted for publication should be sent to the Editor. THE HOFF STORE SITE AND GOLD RUSH MERCHANDISE FROM SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Edited by Allen G. Pastron and Eugene M. Hattori SPECIAL PUBLICATION SERIES, NUMBER 7 Published by THE SOCIETY FOR HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY RONALD L. MICHAEL, Editor ISSN: 0898-0004 FRONT COVER, Long Wharf where the Oregon docked. The American flag (left) flies above Hoff's store. Artist, Alonzo Delano, (Courtesy, National Maritime Museum, San Francisco.) Print Production by Braun-Brumfield, Inc. Ann Arbor, Michigan © 1990 by The Society for Historical Archaeology Printed in United States of America TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures iii List of Tables iv Contributors . v Preface and Acknowledgments vi I. The Hoff Store Site: An Introduction ALLEN G. PASTRON . 2. Historical Background of the Hoff Store Site and an Overview of Gold Rush Archaeology in Downtown San Francisco ALLEN G. PASTRON . 4 3. Field Methods for the Hoff Store Site MICHAEL R. WALSH . 19 4. "Ships were constantly arriving. .": The Hoff Store Site and the Business of Maritime Supply and Demand in Gold Rush San Francisco JAMES P. DELGADO . 25 5. Construction Hardware from Gold Rush San Francisco EUGENE M. HATTORI AND BRIDGETTE M. BRIGHAM. 34 6. Civilian and Military Armament and Accoutrements from the Hoff Store Site JAMES P. DELGADO, ALLEN G. PASTRON, AND EUGENE M. HATTORI 48 7. The Bottles of the Hoff Store Site DENNIS P. McDOUGALL ............... 58 8. Chinese Export Porcelain in Gold Rush San Francisco PAULA B. TERREY AND ALLEN G. PASTRON .... 75 9. Packed Pork and Other Foodstuffs from the California Gold Rush EUGENE M. HATTORI AND JERRE L. KOSTA . 82 10. Pegged Footware from 1851 San Francisco JULIA E. HUDDLESON AND MITSURU S. WATANABE 94 II. Some Observations and Concluding Remarks: The Hoff Store Site ALLEN G. PASTRON, EUGENE M. HATTORI, MICHAEL R. WALSH, AND JAMES P. DELGADO 101 References ... 106 Index . 114 Index of Makers' Marks 115 LIST OF FIGURES FRONT COYER. Long Wharf where the Oregon docked. FIGURE 2-1. San Francisco archaeological sites 5 FIGURE 2-2. "Forest of Masts," ca.1850 . 9 FIGURE 2-3. Great Fire in San Francisco . 12 FIGURE 2-4. The morning after the Great Fire of May 4, 1851 13 FIGURE 3-1. Stratigraphic column for the Hoff Store site . 20 FIGURE 3-2. Excavation unit plan . 23 FIGURE 4-1. 1852 broadsheet for Hoff and Owner's chandlery 30 FIGURE 4-2. Cover of the Folger and Tubbs catalog . 31 FIGURE 4-3. Second page of the Folger and Tubbs catalog showing "Ship Chandlery" items 32 FIGURE 4-4. Fourteenth page of the Folger and Tubbs catalog showing "Ship Stores" items 33 iv HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY, SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO.7 FIGURE 5-1. Map of San Francisco Embarcadero in 1851 showing land fill and piers . 35 FIGURE 5-2. Fasteners 37 FIGURE 5-3. Spikes 38 FIGURE 5-4. Bolts . 40 FIGURE 5-5. Hinges . 41 FIGURE 5-6. Mortise and tenon plates 42 FIGURE 5-7. Tools 42 FIGURE 5-8. Tools . 44 FIGURE 5-9. Tools . 45 FIGURE 5-10. Floor covering 46 FIGURE 6-1. Carbine parts. 50 FIGURE 6-2. Ammunition . 51 FIGURE 6-3. Accoutrements 53 FIGURE 6-4. Accoutrements . 54 FIGURE 7-1. Figured cologne bottle fragments 59 FIGURE 7-2. Black glass alcoholic beverage bottle base 60 FIGURE 7-3. Embossed black glass alcoholic beverage bottle bases. 60 FIGURE 7-4. Sand pontilled black glass alcoholic beverage bottle bases 61 FIGURE 7-5. Alcoholic beverage bottle . 62 FIGURE 7-6. Wine and champagne bottles .... .......... 62 FIGURE 7-7. Wells, Miller, and Provost ground black pepper bottles 63 FIGURE 7-8. Culinary bottle lead foil labels 64 FIGURE 7-9. Large preserve bottle utilized by William Underwood & Co. of Boston 64 FIGURE 7-10. Culinary bottles . 65 FIGURE 7-11. Medicinal bottles. ................... 68 FIGURE 7-12. Toiletry bottles . 70 FIGURE 7-13. Embossed push up exhibiting British Registry Mark. 72 FIGURE 8-1. Brush box in "Blossom and Foliage" motif. 77 FIGURE 8-2. Soap dish in "Blossom and Foliage" motif 77 FIGURE 8-3. Basin in "Blossom and Foliage" motif . 78 FIGURE 8-4. Bat design . 78 FIGURE 8-5. Water bottle and lid in "Blossom and Foliage" motif 79 FIGURE 8-6. Chamber pot in "Canton" motif. ........... 79 FIGURE 9-1. Hypothesized butchering pattern for prime, packed-pork 83 FIGURE 9-2. Meat cuts. 85 FIGURE 9-3. Baked goods . 87 FIGURE 9-4. Rice bundles . 89 FIGURE 9-5. Pits and seeds 89 FIGURE 9-6. Brass label from oyster tin 91 FIGURE 10-1. Shoe terminology 95 FIGURE 10-2. Brogans 96 FIGURE IO-~. Boots . 97 FIGURE 10-4. Brogans 98 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 3-1. Major Gold Rush fires in San Francisco 22 TABLE 7-1. Mold type . 73 TABLE 7-2. Pontil type . 73 TABLE 8-1. Hoff Store site Chinese porcelain 76 TABLE 9-1. Pork bones . 84 CONTRIBUTORS BRIDGETTE M. BRIGHAM, Archeo-Tec, 955 Stannage St., Albany, California 94706. JAMES P. DELGADO, National Maritime Initiative, National Park Service, Washington, D.C. 20013. EUGENE M. HATTORI, Archeo-Tec, 955 Stannage St., Albany, California 94706; and California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California 94118. JULIA E. HUDDLESON, Archeo-Tec, 955 Stannage St., Albany, California 94706. JERRE L. KOSTA, Archeo-Tec, 955 Stannage St., Albany, California 94706. DENNIS P. McDOUGALL, Archeo-Tec, 955 Stannage