The same general procedure was followed in excavating each of the four
mounds at the Harroun Site. A stake was placed near the center of the
mound and a grid of 5-foot squares was established which tied in with
the centrally located stake. Then each quadrant of the mound was
excavated separately. Beginning at the top of the mound, an entire
quadrant was taken down by regular vertical intervals, usually of 0.5
feet each. The floor of the excavation was cleaned and examined after
each level was removed, and measured drawings were prepared to record
any zoning or occupational features that were observed in the excavation
floor.
The four profiles radiating in the cardinal directions from the central
stake were always left intact until measured drawings had been prepared,
and other profiles were recorded when deemed necessary. Strategically
located check blocks were left at all the mounds, at least until the
structure of the mound was determined. In some cases the check blocks
were ultimately removed in order to completely expose a house floor or
other feature.
For vertical reference, the base stake at Mound A was assigned an
arbitrary elevation of 100.0 feet, and all vertical measurements for the
entire site were keyed to that stake. For horizontal control a separate
grid of 5-foot squares was established for each mound and the area
adjacent to it. While the use of a separate grid for each mound had some
disadvantages, this method was adopted for two main reasons: (1) so that
a key stake with co-ordinates in whole numbers could be located at the
center of each mound, and (2) to avoid the use of unwieldy 4-digit
numbers for co-ordinates. For each grid a base stake, set well away from
the mound, was assigned an arbitrary designation of 0-0, and all other
stakes of that grid were labeled with the co-ordinates measured from the
base stake in the cardinal directions (as N100-W50, N85-W80, etc.). All
the grids were oriented on magnetic north. The designation for each
5-foot square was taken from the co-ordinates at its southeast corner.
Because of the press of time it was impossible to screen all of the
excavated soil. Each structural component was spot screened, however, in
order to obtain a representative sample of artifacts and other material.
Both ⅓-inch and ¼-inch hardware cloth were used for screens.
All artifacts and other specimens were placed in paper bags, on which
were recorded the square, vertical interval, geological or structural
zone (wherever possible), associated features (if any), appropriate
grid, date, and any other pertinent data. For specimens found _in situ_
the exact vertical and horizontal position was also recorded to the
nearest ¹/₁₀th foot.
In addition to work in the mounds themselves, several exploratory
trenches were dug in the immediate vicinity of Mounds A, C, and D. In
each case these tests were tied in to the grid for the appropriate
mound. Small tests were made with a post hole digger or a shovel over
the entire area between the mounds, and also for some distance beyond
the general mound area. These small tests were irregularly spaced from
10 to 100 feet apart. Recording the location of each of them would have
required the clearing of a vast amount of underbrush; consequently,
since they were all unproductive, only the general areas tested were
noted.
Measured drawings, descriptive notes, and photographs were made of the
mounds, the burial at Mound A, the house plans at Mounds B, C, and D,
and the other occupational features. General site notes were also taken,
and a daily log of activities was maintained.