Letter

November 19, 2002

Tom Pfannenstiel

Minnesota Historical Society

345 Kellogg Bouleva= rd

St. Paul, MN 55102

Re: &= nbsp; Archaeological Mitigation of the Propo= sed Crawlspace Excavation Beneath the Wood-Frame Addition to the Meighen House, Forestville, Fillmore County, Minnesota. Additional service to Project 0205= 4.00

Dear = Tom:

On behalf of Collaborative Design Group and The 106 Group Ltd.= , I am pleased to submit a proposal for the archaeological mitigation of the propo= sed crawlspace excavation beneath the wood-frame addition to the Meighen House.=

In order to increase ventilation= under the wood-frame addition to the Meighen House, Collaborative Design Group (C= DG) has recommended that an estimated two feet (ft.) (61 centimeters [cm]) of s= oil be removed from within the crawlspace.&nbs= p; The Meighen House was originally constructed in 1857 and the 18 ft. = (5.5 m) x 24 ft. (7.3 m) wood-frame addition was built between 1884 and 1890. Therefore, any intact cultural dep= osits beneath the wood-frame addition were sealed in the 1880s and their excavati= on and documentation could shed light on aspects of daily life in the Meighen House during the first 30 years of the occupation of the store and residence. Therefore, CDG has recommended, if it is determined that soil removal is required, that this process be archaeologically mitigated.&nbs= p; During a meeting on November 13, 2002, staff from the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) concurred with this recommendation.

The purpose of the investigation is= to determine whether the crawlspace contains any intact archaeological deposit= s or features and to mitigate the effects of the soil removal to these deposits through the excavation of formal units and the use of fine-scale recovery techniques.

The proposed archaeological miti= gation would include the following tasks:

<= span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>o&nb= sp; Background research on the Meigh= en House is available from the MHS, therefore, no additional historical research wil= l be undertaken at this time, but rather this previous research will be reviewed prior to the field investigation, and incorporated into the report on the archaeological mitigation, as appropriate.= Research will be conducted at the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and MHS on all previous archaeological studies that have been conduc= ted on the Meighen House property.

<= span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>o&nb= sp; The 106 Group will obtain= an archaeological license from the Office of the State Archaeologist. Because the archaeological investigation will occur on a National-Register listed site we propose that the National Register Archaeologist, Dr. Scott Anfinson, also has the opportunity to comment on t= he proposed work plan.

<= span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>o&nb= sp; The 106 Group will arrang= e for utilities to be marked within the project area. Michelle Terrel= l of The 106 Group will serve as the Principal Investigator and Eve Terrell of C= DG will serve as the Field Director. The team will be completed with two field technicians.

= o&nb= sp; CDG will coordinate with the staff of SHPO, MHS, and Meighen House, regarding access to the project area and the removal and storage of the floorboards.

o&nb= sp; The floor joists within t= he wood-frame addition run north-south across the project area. The distance between the joists is= not known at this time. The archaeological investigation will consist of the excavation of up to six 1-x-1-m excavation units beneath the floor of the addition. Cultur= al strata will be excavated in 5-cm arbitrary levels to a depth of at least two ft. (61 cm), but excavations will continue to a depth of 3 ft. (approximate= ly 1 m) if sterile soil horizons have not been reached. All excavated soils will be passed through ¼-inch mesh to ensure consistency in artifact recovery. Cultural features identified during testing may be sampled by excavating a half or quarter section in 5-cm arbitrary levels to expose stratigraphic information. If field conditions allow, soil sa= mples from features will be passed through a 1/8-inch mesh screen.

<= span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>o&nb= sp; Cleaning, cataloging, lab= eling and bagging of any artifacts recovered during the excavation will be completed. All materials will be processed according to standard professional practices. All data, including artifact prove= nience and appropriate classification, will be catalogued on a computerized database. All artifacts will = be curated at the MHS.

<= span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>o&nb= sp; A report will be prepared describing project methodology, previous investigations, and results. Up to four final reports will be prepared including a camera-ready, unbound copy.

<= span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>o&nb= sp; We will keep you closely informed about the project status. <= /span>

<= span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>o&nb= sp; One pre-fieldwork meeting is anticipated in the Twin Cities with representatives from the staff of CDG, The 106 Group, SHPO, and= the Meighen House.

CDG and The 106 Group can complete this consultation for an am= ount not to exceed $19,670. This cost does not include the exp= ense of taking up the floor boards. If the MHS is interested in using this project as a volunteer/internship opportunity, the two field technician positions could be filled by voluntee= rs and/or interns and the cost of the project reduced accordingly.

The study can be completed within four weeks= of receiving the service agreement and once the floorboards can be removed from within the structure.

Please= feel free to call me with any questions or comments.

Very truly yours,

Bill Hickey
Principal