Wooden Box Filled with Iron Ax Heads Prior to Conservation Above and After Below.

A test unit was dug in the south end of the site and three wooden boxes were discovered. After an in-situ recovery of measurement recording and video, the boxes were cradled in foam and directly raised to the surface in a plastic basket. The main box had only two of its side panels remaining. It was oriented upside down and concreted materials spilled out of it. It was 50 cm in length, 46 cm wide, and 13 cm high. Scars along the edges showed where square shank fasteners measuring from 0.25cm to 0.40 cm on a side, would have held the box together. The box would have been sealed by 0.5 cm square fasteners. The concreted contents consisted of 0.69 caliber lead shot, brass straight pins, an iron tool mold, and axe heads. The box was conserved by removing the salts in a fresh water bath after a mechanical cleaning. Additional wooden boxes were found in a small broken wooden cask that is consistent with the practice of using casks to transport shot. The three wooden boxes, bound in wythe, with lead plugs, or vents in the end sections immediately adjacent to the cask fragment and were surrounded by the scattered shot. The condition of the wood was excellent, and all three boxes were filled with solid iron encrustation.

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