Firebasins
The firebasins at Lawhorn are quite definite and well formed of puddled clay and are good examples of those so common to Mississippian sites of the area. Rebuilding was common, with new construction leaving the remains of some portion of the old basin to one side. Often this was a half-moon shaped affair that may have continued in use. In all instances these basins were filled with a white wood ash which showed complete combustion so that there were no bits of unburned charcoal left in the ash. It may be that this bed of ash was maintained in basins at all times and was used to bury hot coals to hold the fire during periods of non-use. There were numerous specimens found near the fire basins which added to the impression of domestic hearth sites associated with whatever house forms these people had. The most notable trait was the presence of stone mortars and pestles near many of the basins. Drilled pottery disks were also commonly found nearby. Bone awls were found on one occasion.
House 1 had a fire basin two feet in diameter and without a raised rim section. It was half filled with white to reddish wood ash without any partially burned charred material left in it. The fire area in House 3 was not a puddled basin but rather a flat area on the floor where continued fire building had hardened the ground underneath. The House 2 basin was puddled but poorly made. In two of these fireplaces small broken bowls were found half buried in the ash. Another burned area was found in square 17R13 which also showed use as a hearth site. Nearby was a circular refuse pit almost flat on the bottom. Here, carbonized nut hulls were found.
Figure 29. A Large Broken Pottery Jar in a Refuse Area
In no instance were postmold patterns found in association with the firebasins at this site nor, for that matter, were any found in the entire excavation that could be thought of as forming a pattern.
Feature 12 was a puddled clay fire basin with a rim section .1 foot above the surrounding floor. The basin was circular in shape with a diameter of 1.3 feet and a depth of .3 foot. It had been dug into subsoil and so was associated with the early levels of the site. To one side were two possible postmolds while nearby was a mortar and several crude pestles. Two bone awls and a drilled pottery disk were found close to the basin. Feature 14 was a similar fire basin but it was in poor condition. It was found just above the subsoil in the square just west of feature 12 and became the center point of an extended trench excavation in an unsuccessful search for a postmold wall pattern. The basin was filled with a white wood ash. Two shell tempered sherds were found in this ash.
Feature 18, a firebasin, ([Fig. 30]) also built on subsoil, was of puddled clay filled completely with wood ash. This ash did not contain any specimen. There was a burned clay floor .1 foot below the rim of the firebasin but this was not very extensive and in all probability only surrounded the firebasin area. Once again, an extended trench excavation was undertaken in a search for postmolds. The subsoil was a light colored sand and such disturbances as tree roots and pits were very clear. Indeed many of these tree roots were cross sectioned in an attempt to locate postmolds. No postmolds of any description were found.
Feature 5 was a large fired area with a heap of ashes extending beyond the burned clay. The area was circular with a diameter of 1.6 feet and burned to a depth of .3 foot. Associated with this area was a charred nut, either hickory or walnut, and a thin flat stone which had been subjected to intense heat.
Feature 24 was very similar to feature 18 in that it, too, had been rebuilt and enlarged. The rebuilt basin was oval in shape being two feet long by 1.7 feet wide with an interior depth of .5 foot and a thickness of burned clay wall of .1 foot. The combined length of the basin was 3 feet with a half moon section of the original basin being all that remained of it. The original basin was about 1.6 feet in diameter. Both sections were filled with wood ash and apparently continued in use.
Feature 25 was the remaining half of a puddled clay fire basin under house 1. Whether the basin was circular or oval could not be determined due to an ash pit that had been cut through it. The basin was 1.6 feet in diameter with an interior depth of .6 foot and a clay wall thickness of .1 foot. The pit was filled with white wood ash and a few shell tempered sherds.
Figure 30. Feature 18, a Firebasin of Unusual Shape