A Tale of Two Cisterns: Data Recovery Investigation at 31NH684, New Hanover County, North Carolina

Data recovery investigations were conducted for proposed development by Landmark Organization, Inc. in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. Research centered on the excavation and sampling of two brick cisterns at site 31NH684. Initial work consisted of the excavation of 15 square meters in the form of a 3 by 5 square meter unit, later expanded to include a previously undiscovered cistern.
Approximately two-thirds of Cistern 1 was excavated, while Cistern 2 was sampled with a 50 square centimeter unit and core samples. Archaeological evidence and historical research indicate that the cisterns were built simultaneously, sometime between 1840 and 1915. Deed research supports a tighter date range of between
1875 and 1890, and suggests the builder to have been a resident named J.F. King. The data recovery project contributed not only site-specific data, but information applicable to other historic sites. Excavations and research generated and gathered together a broad body of knowledge concerning cistern history, construction, usage, and abandonment. It is hoped that this data will provide a useful foundation for further archaeological work on historic sites with similar features.