Distinct layers of dark organic soil located at the base of the plow zone were detected in several areas of the Clampitt site and have been designated as "midden lenses". In contrast to true "horizons", these midden lenses appeared to be discrete patches of irregular form and varying thicknesses which contained highly variable amounts and kinds of artifactual material. Midden lenses were recognized by their distinctively dark color and compact consistency. Figure 21 shows the locations of midden lenses which were detected through excavation. Generally, these features were situated outside of the inner stockade line and corresponded with gentle slopes in the site topography. Distinct midden lenses were identified in ten of the eighteen test trenches that extended beyond the inner stockade line (Figure 21). In addition, discrete midden deposits were uncovered at several locations along the southern periphery of the village in locations that were well outside both the inner and outer stockade lines. The presence of midden deposits at the periphery of the village settlement appeared to reflect an organized method of refuse disposal that involved the dumping of trash outside of the habitation area and, in many cases, beyond the stockade wall. The presence of numerous trash-filled pits inside the village provided evidence of an alternative (or complimentary) means of refuse disposal within the living area.
A particularly expansive lense of midden soil was identified in Unit B (Figure 21). This midden deposit capped several pit features and extended over a portion of the inner stockade line in Unit T and the northern end of Trench 5. Stratigraphic profiles in this area indicated that the pit features originated within this midden lense (at about 40 cm below surface) and extended down into the subsoil, thereby escaping the worst effects of plowing (Figure 22).
Distinct midden lenses were also identified in trenches 18 and 24 (Figures
21 and 23).
In both trenches, midden deposits appeared as 15 to 25 cm thick layers of dark-colored
organic soils located at the base of the plowzone. One meter square columns
of soil were excavated from each trench in 10 cm levels and screened through
one-quarter inch mesh in order to recover samples of midden deposits. Figure
24, which illustrates the relative densities of artifacts recovered
from each provenience, shows that midden soils contained varying amounts of
pottery, chert debitage, fire-cracked rock, and limestone; whereas, faunal and
floral remains were all but non-existent. The total densities of artifacts from
both sampled midden lenses greatly exceeded the concentrations of materials
in the plow zone (Figure 24).
This phenomenon was most likely the result of the horizontal mixing and scattering
of artifacts by the plow which took place over a period of thirty or more years
of cultivations.
