Besides the two possible borrow pits mentioned above, the only
occupational feature found at Mound B was House No. 3.
_House No. 3_
This house was erected on the surface of the floodplain before the mound
was built. The purpose of the mound apparently was to bury the remains
of the house after it had burned.
Beneath the house floor zone, which was described in the preceding
section, were found 59 post molds measuring from 0.25 to 1.3 feet in
diameter and extending from 0.3 to 2.5 feet below the floor (Fig. 5).
The faint gray stain of the post molds was quite dim and difficult to
distinguish. They were located by cutting a vertical face completely
around the house area, then carefully cutting the face inward from all
sides. As the post molds were located, they were plotted on a horizontal
plan and a measured profile drawing of each was prepared.
Twenty-three of the post molds formed a circular outline representing
the perimeter of a house approximately 17 feet in diameter (Fig. 5). The
peripheral molds averaged 0.5 feet in diameter and were spaced, as a
rule, about two feet apart. At the southeast edge of the house were two
parallel lines of three molds each which defined an extended
entranceway. Because of disturbance in the entranceway area by tree
roots, only the bottom portions of the entrance molds were preserved.
Their arrangement suggests that some of the post molds related to the
original entranceway were not discovered.
Within the external ring of post molds were 30 irregularly spaced molds,
including four very large ones which probably held the bases of
relatively heavy roof supports. Two concentrations of smaller post molds
(one on the northeast side of the house, the other on the southwest
side) possibly mark the location of interior structures such as sleeping
or storage platforms. In the center of the house was a relatively large
post mold, over which the fire hearth had been built. This probably
represented a center post used in construction of the house and then
removed when the house was completed.
The hearth was located in a shallow depression at the center of the
house. It was in the form of a basin about four feet in diameter and one
foot deep. The sandy soil underlying the hearth had been burned to a
deep reddish color.
[Illustration: Fig. 5
HARROUN SITE
41 UR 10
PLAN OF HOUSE NO. 3
MOUND B
post mold, exterior wall
post mold, interior
post mold, entrance
central hearth
stump disturbance]
From all indications this house was constructed in a manner similar to
that described by early Spanish and French explorers in the Caddoan Area
(Swanton, 1942: 148-154). A ring of poles, each with its base end set in
a deep hole, was placed in upright position around a tall center post
used as a work platform. The tops of the poles were drawn together at
the center and bound. Small tree branches were then woven, horizontally,
between the upright poles, grass thatching was applied, and, in some
cases, the exterior was plastered with a coat of clay mud. (Many pieces
of burned clay daub, some bearing impressions of sticks and grass, were
found on and above the floors of all the houses at the Harroun Site.)
After the house was completed, the center post, used only to facilitate
construction, was removed. Interior support posts may have been added,
and platforms for sleeping or storage were built inside the house.