Adobe House Site

Adobe House Site , This is the site of a Spanish and Mexican-era adobe house, dating from the 1810s to 1850s. The house is gone today, but the original stone foundation remains buried under the modern rock reconstruction you see. Spanish settlers probably located here because of the steady supply of fresh water from the nearby spring. Two houses were built along the trail that once connected the Presidio military garrison with Mission Dolores. The houses were occupied by the Miramontes and Briones families, who were related through marriage., We don’t know exactly what the house looked like, but this illustration is based on the foundation footprint and on known Spanish-colonial building materials and styles., Building Materials , Adobe (mud and straw) houses were built on a foundation of stones. Wooden beams were placed on top of door and window openings to support the bricks above them. Wooden beams were also used for the roof, which was covered with clay tiles. To protect the adobe walls from rain and fog, a mud plaster or whitewash finish was applied. , The house was made of Adobe bricks, which were hardened in the sun, then laid down in layers., Part of a British-manufactured whiteware bowl, a fine table service in the 1800s., In 2003, the Presidio Archaeology Lab partnered with Stanford University to excavate the house foundation (outlined in orange). It was later reburied to preserve the site.,