NYSAA Bulletin No. 107 — Dogan Point Archaeological Site — Passage 6

[Herbert C. Kraft et al. (1994)] Department, SUNY/Buffalo, visited the site while the northern portion was being destroyed and was able to record the location of post molds exposed by the bulldozer. Some defined a portion of a ton-house, and one line of posts approximately 18 ft in length may represent a palisade (Figure 1). While the latter line of posts is too short for certain identification as to function, a palisade is suggested by the location and configuration of the post molds. Excavations by field schools along the steep western bank have not confirmed the existence of a palisade, although a few large posts along the very edge of the western bank are suggestive. It is not known how much of the western bank has been lost in the past through a combination of both erosion and careless digging by pothunters.

At present, the remaining northern edge of the knoll is a gentle slope covered in a thick secondary growth dominated by hawthorn. A future goal is the continued excavation of a trench 2 m wide to the north in order to determine the northern limits of occupation and to further investigate the possible existence of a palisade. Figure 2 illustrates the distribution of post molds recorded by field schools from 1975 to the present. Portions of three longhouses are visible, the most complete being located in the southwestern excavated area. A second structure is suggested by a clear line of posts in the southeastern area, with a fainter second line of posts paralleling this about 6 m to the north.