Searching for the Elusive Latrine: Archeological Investigations in the Backyard of the Summer Kitchen, Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site

A team from the National Park Service's Midwest Archeological Center (MW AC) carried out backhoe and hand test excavations behind the Summer Kitchen (HS2) at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site (ULSG) in an effort to locate archeological evidence of fence lines and the site of a small building believed to be a privy. The archeological investigations were undertaken to gather data to support the reconstruction of the historic fenceline and avoid, to the extent possible, the effect of the construction of pedestrian walks and wayside signage locations on historic features. This report presents the results of the three-day field project carried out by Thomas Thiessen and the author on June 13-14, and in conjuction with remote sensing with Ground Penetrating Radar on August 21,2001. All artifacts (ULSG Accession 38) recovered in these investigations are summarized in tabular format.