Site ORYA3, the Smith House, is located in Dayton, Oregon. The archaeological
project originated because owners of this structure, listed on the National Register of
Historic Places, applied for a demolition permit. The 1859 home, first occupied by two
early Oregon pioneers, Andrew and Sarah Smith, was considered architecturally
significant, an unique example of a territorial period home. In the years since 1859, the
original building construction has not been significantly modified, nor have the grounds
been looted or substantially altered. Dr. David Brauner and the Oregon State University
Anthropology Department began an archaeological project at this location in anticipation
of the destruction, the first time in Oregon that archaeologists have excavated the interior
of a standing house.
The longevity of occupation, site taphonomy, and episodes of floor repair over the
years created a mixed context. The research direction for this thesis matches a statistical
and descriptive analysis of a sample of the material culture with information gathered from
published and unpublished archival data from the Smith house. The thesis examines
cultural material found on this site and provides a basis for comparison with other similar
archaeological sites. Dayton history is discussed, to provide a broad context within which
to interpret the archaeological data. Occupancy background on the various residents is
provided. This thesis provides a general analysis of the 10,609 artifacts and their
associated provenience. This thesis is a cautionary tale for historic archaeologists working
on domestic sites. Examination of material by room points out how little can really be said
based only on artifact presence. On this site, oral and written histories often proved to be
better sources of information than the artifacts on many subjects. / Graduation date: 1998 / Best scan available for figures. Original has a moray pattern.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/28320 |
| Date | 11 June 1997 |
| Creators | Stone, Helen Delight |
| Contributors | Brauner, David |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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