COLONIAL Yorktown's Main Street Historic Resource Study

When in October 1956 a sewer line was being laid along the streets in Yorktown, it was necessary to open a trench, or ditch, some 2-1/2 feet wide and averaging 5 to 6 feet in depth. Archeological surveillance was maintained, and important, or at least significant, recordings were made. [1] In the process three features were noted along, or adjacent to, the town's Main Street.

Feature No. 5 was described as "in a rich refuse deposit." It was at a depth of 3 to 6 feet and lay between the Somerwell and Pate Houses where more recent structures (now removed) stood on older colonial building sites. Here "Numerous pieces of salt glaze earthware and sager parts were recovered."

Feature No. 3 was located "in the head of a draw, now filled with road ballast." Actually this is where the Great Valley rose inland to cross the line of Main Street to end about in front of the Sessions House. A principal road connection between Main Street and the waterfront went down this ravine. Cotter also identified this as a "Salt glaze Pottery Kiln" feature, one of four that he noted. [2]

Feature No. 9 was a brick wall on the nortwest side of Monument Avenue just around the bend from Main Street, possibly just inside the southeastern boundary of the town proper. [3]