Stone and cement foundation (Smith's Cove)

About This Structure

A large stone and cement foundation discovered by Dan Blankenship during the November 1969 Smith's Cove excavation, shaped like a horseshoe and found approximately 2 feet below the grade and about 150 feet south of the Smith's Cove beach. Blankenship described it as "quite massive."

Dimensions: roughly 12 feet wide and 25 feet long, with the open end toward the shore. The width of the footing varied from 20 inches to 30 inches and averaged approximately 3 feet deep. All the stones were cemented together in a mass, with the footing approximately 2 feet deep. The earth inside the horseshoe appeared slightly whiter than outside, and the earth toward the shore showed evidence of extensive heat - burnt deep red with patches of white in layers. Pieces of charcoal and coal were found in this area.

Blankenship noted that the remains of a stone-paved road from this area toward the Money Pit were still discernible.

He speculated on two possible interpretations: (1) it could have been the site of a steam boiler used by searchers working on the coffer dam, though he personally doubted this as he could not conceive the usefulness of a steam engine for such an operation; or (2) more likely in his view, it was the site of an original open hearth furnace where metalwork - including the manufacture of bricks and clays - could have been performed.

This structure was found in the same excavation campaign that uncovered the medieval-dated timber structures (Items #1-#11) inside the cofferdam, and its proximity to those structures, the stone road remnants, and the evidence of industrial-scale heating activity suggests it may be connected to the original depositor's operations on the island.