A Store on Commercial Row

A Store on Commercial Row. . , Archaeologists found the partial remains of two different buildings when this site was excavated in 1995 and 1996. All that remained of one building was a section of stone foundation. The construction of this wall showed that it was the northwest corner of a building that is now almost completely eroded away. This stone wall, however, was built on rubble from an older building that was destroyed in a catastrophic fire. , A dense layer of burned and fragmented artifacts was all that was left of this earlier building. Broken and scorched ceramic plates, cups, and teapots; gunflints discolored and cracked by heat; and fragments of brass spurs melted almost beyond recognition bear mute testimony to the intensity of the fire. It appears then that the burned artifacts are evidence for a catastrophic fire, in about 1850, at one of Doaksville's mercantiles. , Ceramic pieces include the latest styles available from English potters, who then dominated the North American market. Many of the ceramics were made by Davenport and were marked with the year they were made. Most of these dates were 1849. Importer marks on the bases of some vessels found at Doaksville show that these artifacts were handled by New Orleans importers prior to their shipment to the Choctaw Nation. , Large quantities of unusual artifacts such as gunflints, which were found in piles of 10 to 20, and spurs, and the large quantity of ceramic wares, suggest that this might have been a store, with these items being the goods for sale. This is further supported by the fact that although burned, the ceramic plates and bowls look unused: they show no evidence of knife, fork, or spoon scratches or cuts, and the bases on the vessels show no shelf wear. ,

The stocks of goods are large, and the assortments such as are usual in stores. Sugar and coffee are used by all classes in the nations, to an extent at least equal to the whites. , William Armstrong, 1842

, Businesses that Thrived in Doaksville. , Doaks and Tims Mercantile Company was located across the street from the jail. , Pitman Colbert at Three Yellow Doors sold dry goods, hats, shoes, boots, groceries, and saddlery. Many people at this time could not read. The buildings were identified by colors. Thus, the Yellow Door meant one place and the Red Door meant another., Red Store #3 on Commercial Row sold blankets, sheeting and shirting, osnaburgs, plaid and fancy cotton, and woolen shawls of all sizes. Jeans, tweeds, cassmerces and broadcloths, ready-made clothing, saddlery, hardware, drugs, tobacco, and iron. , J.P. Murphy sold ploughs. , J.R. Bryant and Company sold saddles and harness. , Irving and Riddle sold wagons. ,

Mama made all of our clothes. Our coats and pants wer of jeans. We bought the cloth at Doaksville Trading Store. If cloth was a little scarce we had no pockets, and that was a near-tragedy. It would be so long between suits. , Captions on Left side.