The majority of identifiable post molds at the Clampitt site were associated with the stockade trenches and are described above. The remaining post molds were scattered within areas devoid of pit features. In the southeastern and southwestern sections of the village, concentrations of post molds were encountered between the inner stockade and feature clusters in a zone that was roughly ten meters in width (Figures 13, 13a, and 13b).
In both these areas, the post molds appeared in plan as very faint, ovoid organic stains. In many instances, post mold profiles appeared only as lightcolored "fingers" of homogenous soil that truncated natural laminations in the subsoil. The common occurrence of subsoil disturbance in the form of root stains and mole and toad burrows, the almost complete absence of cultural material, and the heavily leached nature of the soil matrix itself compounded the difficulty of identifying genuine post molds.
Despite these handicaps, several clusters of post molds were identified, but no recognizable structural patterns were discerned within any one cluster. Nevertheless, the occurrence of these clusters in relatively "featureless" areas located just inside the stockade line is believed to document habitation zones within which houses were constructed. The excavation of much larger areas would be required to exposed identifiable sections of individual post structures.
A very unusual post mold feature of a type not yet described was Feature 44. Feature 44 was detected at the base of plow zone in Unit O and appeared as a roughly circular, dark brown or black stain measuring about 70 crn in diameter (Figure 13b). Upon excavation, this feature proved to be a large, straight-sided post mold that narrowed gradually to a basal width of 8.0 cm at 233.0 cm below datum (see Figure 30). The fill of this feature consisted, almost entirely, of carbon-cemented sand and contained a low density of chert debitage, fire-cracked rock, and pottery in the upper 60.0 cm. A flotation sample collected from 122 cm below datum contained small amounts of debitage, pottery, seeds, nutshell, bone, squash, and maize.
The great depth and large size of Feature 44 (relative to all other post molds
recorded at the site) suggested an original function as a very tall building
support post or perhaps a solitary "marker" post of some type. A careful
examination of the feature profile revealed the faint outline of a large basin-shaped
pit surrounding the upper 70.0 cm of the post mold (Figure
30). This feature was "stepped" on either side and may represent the
remains of the original pit used to erect the large post. The additional fact
that this post was located on the highest elevation of the site may be indicative
of some special cultural significance which this structure possessed for the
inhabitants of the village.
