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.
[Illustration: 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.
[Illustration: Figure 30. Feature 18, a Firebasin of Unusual Shape]