Archaeological Site Examination of the North Yard of the Loring-Greenough House, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

A phased program of stabilization and restoration for the Loring-Greenough House and property located in Jamaica Plain, a suburb of Boston, MA, called for reconstruction of porches, construction of an entrance walk and new foundations for the carriage house. This program also included landscaping and rehabilitation of garden plantings in the north yard. Archaeological testing was conducted to identify cultural resources that would be impacted by the proposed project and to search for evidence of early garden features that could be used to guide landscape restoration. The first phase of research focused on house porches, walkway installation and foundation work in the carriage house. The second phase of work, reported herein, focused on the temporal assessment of existing planting beds and identification of historic planting features. A total of five 1 m x 1 m units and four 1 m x .5 m units were excavated in the north yard. Investigations revealed the presence of an intact buried A-horizon in the east and south portions of the north yard that contains eighteenth and early nineteenth century artifacts. Sand walkways were laid down in the early to mid nineteenth century and may have corresponded with other house improvements made around 1840. Such improvements may have included the creation of a formal garden with beds laid out in a geometric pattern. These garden features were covered over with landscaping fill sometime after 1937 when a plan of the property was made by the Historic American Buildings Survey. The present parallel garden beds may have been created simultaneously with the geometric garden. The parallel beds have been maintained with slight twentieth-century modification up to the present. The irregular lilac beds at the north edge of the property appear to date to the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries, while the herb bed was created in the late twentieth century. Evidence of seventeenth to eighteenth century garden features consisting of a series of small planting holes was identified below the south end of the parallel beds and associated walkway. The program of archaeological testing revealed the presence of a well-preserved buried A-horizon across much of the property that is associated with the eighteenth and early nineteenth cenury occupation of the property. In addition evidence of eighteenth century gardening activity lies at the base of the buried A-horizon. An early nineteenth century pathway was found on the surface of the buried A-horizon. Due to the presence of well-preserved arcaeological deposits recommendations for proposed garden restoration focused on the need to limit the depth of new planting holes to prevent disturbance to the buried A-horizon. Because tree planting and erection of posts for arbors require greater depths, it was recommended that the new planting and post locations should be archaeologically excavated to mitigate potentially adverse impacts. The excavated holes will then be used for specific trees and posts. The third phase of archaeological investigation associated with the foundations of the carriage house north wall joists will be reported under separate cover.针对位于马萨诸塞州波士顿郊区牙买加平原的洛林-格鲁宅邸（Loring-Greenough House）及其附属场地，一项分阶段实施的稳定与修复计划提出了多项工程要求：重建宅邸门廊、铺设入口步道，并为马车房（carriage house）搭建新地基。该计划同时涵盖场地景观设计与北院园林植被的修复工作。为明确拟建工程可能影响的文化资源，并搜寻可用于指导景观修复的早期园林遗迹证据，项目开展了考古勘探工作。第一阶段研究聚焦于宅邸门廊改造、步道铺设及马车房地基工程。本报告所记述的第二阶段工作，则围绕现有种植床的年代学评估与历史园林遗迹的识别展开。本次考古共在北院布设并发掘了5个1米×1米的发掘探方（unit）及4个1米×0.5米的发掘探方。勘探结果显示，北院东部与南部区域存在保存完好的埋藏型A层土壤（A-horizon），其中出土有18世纪至19世纪早期的人工遗物。19世纪早期至中期铺设的砂石步道，或与1840年左右的宅邸其他修缮工程相契合，这类工程可能包括创建几何布局的规整式园林。1937年美国历史建筑调查（Historic American Buildings Survey）绘制该场地平面图后，此类园林特征被景观填土所覆盖。当前的平行式种植床，或与该几何式园林同期打造，并在20世纪历经小幅改造后保留至今。场地北缘不规则的丁香花丛种植区，其年代可追溯至19世纪晚期或20世纪早期，而草药种植区则建于20世纪晚期。在平行种植床南端及关联步道下方，考古人员发现了17至18世纪园林遗迹的证据，即一系列小型种植坑。本次考古勘探还证实，场地大部分区域存在保存完好的埋藏型A层土壤（A-horizon），其关联的年代为18世纪至19世纪早期的场地使用时期。此外，18世纪园林活动的遗迹埋藏于该A层土壤底部。在埋藏型A层土壤的表面，还发现了一条19世纪早期的步道。鉴于埋藏型考古遗存保存状况良好，针对拟建园林修复工程的建议为：需限制新种植坑的开挖深度，以免破坏埋藏型A层土壤。由于树木种植与藤架立柱安装所需开挖深度更大，建议对新种植点位及立柱点位先行开展考古发掘，以规避潜在负面影响，发掘出的坑位将用于安置特定树木与立柱。与马车房北墙托梁地基相关的第三阶段考古调查，将另行发布报告。