Cultural Resources Survey of the Donnelley Wildlife Management Area Mitigation Tract

Summary

"Between August 30 and October 3, 2011, Brockington and Associates, Inc., conducted an intensive archaeological survey of the 691-acre Donnelley Mitigation Tract in the Donnelley Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Colleton County, South Carolina. These investigations were requested by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) in compliance with federal laws concerning the management of historic properties (i.e., archaeological sites, buildings, structures, objects, or districts listed on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places [NRHP]) affected by proposed timber thinning activities related to the management of red-cockaded woodpecker habitat. These laws and regulations include the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (16 USC 470), as amended, and the National Environmental Policy Act. The project tract is located south of the intersection of US Route 17 and SC Route 303 between the Ashepoo and Chehaw rivers in southcentral Colleton County. The 691-acre Donnelley Mitigation Tract includes selected timber stands in the central portion of the Donnelley WMA. Vegetation across these stands consisted of mature loblolly and longleaf pines and mixed hardwoods, with moderate to light understories. A significant portion of the project tract had undergone controlled burning within the last year. The central portion of the project tract extends into hardwood wetlands. During the survey of the timber stands, field conditions varied from very dry in late August/early September to very wet in late September. Field investigations at the Donnelley Mitigation Tract included archaeological survey of the entire tract. There are no survey-eligible structures within the project tract; therefore, an architectural survey was not necessary. This investigation includes resurvey of lands previously visited by Eubanks and Poplin (1994). During the archaeological survey we spaced pedestrian transects 30 meters apart, excavating shovel tests every 30 meters. No shovel tests were excavated in wetlands. Investigators identified 14 previously unrecorded archaeological sites (Sites 38CN1111-38CN1123 and 38CN1127), three cultural landscape resources (Resources 38CN1124-38CN1126), and six isolated finds (Isolates 1-6). Table 1 summarizes these cultural resources. Eight sites (38CN1112-38CN1119) contain only Pre-Contact artifacts, ranging in date from the Late Archaic to Late Woodland period. Two sites (38CN1111 and 38CN1120) contain both Pre-Contact and Post-Contact artifacts. Site 38CN1122 is a late-nineteenth/early-twentieth-century scatter. Site 38CN1123 is a nineteenth-century tar kiln (previously known to SCDNR personnel and being preserved). Site 38CN1121 is a late-nineteenth/early-twentieth-century well. Resource 38CN1126 contains cultural landscape features indicative of an eighteenth/nineteenth century inland rice field. Three resources/sites (38CN1124, 38CN1125, and 38CN1127) contain artifacts or cultural landscape features associated with late-nineteenth/ early-twentieth-century tram lines. Site 38CN1120 is a large subsurface scatter of Pre-Contact ceramic and lithic artifacts and Post-Contact artifacts located on a sand ridge between two limestone sinks in the central portion of the tract (see Figure 1.1). We recommend 38CN1120 eligible for the NRHP and the site should be preserved. We recommend the remaining 16 resources/ sites and six isolated finds not eligible for the NRHP. These 16 resources/sites and six isolated finds warrant no further management consideration."

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Colleton County

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: 1775 to 1783 (The American Revolutionary War)

Calendar Date: 1849 to 1856 (Ashe Tract Land regranted to T. G. Skinner and William Lowery and enlarged)

Calendar Date: 1873 to 1880 (Chisholm's lands owned by E. B. Merritt (These included the White, Hutchinson, and Blocker tracts))

Calendar Date: 1990 to 1992 (Plantation lands owned by Ducks Unlimited)

Calendar Date: 1880 to 1957 (Merritt's lands along with other surrounding lands owned by the Savage family and named Marys Island Plantation)

Calendar Date: 1760 to 1811 (Land owned by Francis Smith and heirs the McIntoshs)

Calendar Date: 1785 to 1823 (Western portion of land granted to Thomas Hutchinson)

Calendar Date: 1900 to 1900 (The Savages made a number of boundary changes that resulted in the current tract configuration)

Calendar Date: 1856 to 1873 (Plantation and surrounding areas owned in entirety by Robert Chisholm)

Calendar Date: 1784 to 1849 (Part of lands granted to William Ashe)

Calendar Date: 1823 to 1823 (Western portion of tract purchased by Sarah Graves and added to her current Eastern holdings)

Calendar Date: 1838 to 1880 (Elliot land portion of project owned by Donald McDonald)

Calendar Date: 1957 to 1979 (Marys Island Plantation owned by Lucius G. Fishburne and Charleston Investors)

Calendar Date: 1760 to 1761 (Eastern and Central tracts granted to Francis Smith)

Calendar Date: 2005 to 2012 (Plantation lands owned by S.C. Department of Natural Resources)

Calendar Date: 1861 to 1865 (The American Civil War)

Calendar Date: 1812 to 1856 (Land owned by James Graves)

Calendar Date: 1992 to 2005 (Plantation lands owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a part of a dam project)

Calendar Date: 1880 to 1880 (Elliot and Chisholm land owned by E. L. Lucas)

Calendar Date: 1979 to 1990 (Plantation lands owned by the Alumax Company)

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Sean Taylor; Dean Harrigal; Jonathan Leader

Contributor(s): Charles F. Phillips Jr.; Michael Walsh; Inna Moore; Meg Moughan; Keith M. Derting; Brian Falls; Scott Kitchens; Jimmy LeFebre; Anna Green; Blair Stec

Field Director(s): David S. Baluha

Principal Investigator(s): Ralph Bailey

Sponsor(s): The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Prepared By(s): Brockington and Associates, Inc.

Notes

General Note: "Brockington and Associates, Inc., conducted a cultural resources survey of the 691-acre Donnelley Mitigation Tract, commencing August 30, 2011, and terminating October 3, 2011. Field investigations at the Donnelley Mitigation Tract included archaeological survey of the entire tract. There are no survey-eligible structures within the project tract; therefore, an architectural survey was not necessary. During the archaeological survey we spaced pedestrian transects 30 meters apart, excavating shovel tests every 30 meters. No shovel tests were excavated in wetlands. We identified 14 archaeological sites (38CN1111-38CN1123 and 38CN1127), three cultural landscape resources (38CN1124-38CN1126), and six isolated finds (Isolates 1-6). We recommend 38CN1120, a multi-component scatter of Pre-Contact ceramics and lithics with a minor Post-Contact component, eligible for the NRHP. Site 38CN1120 should be preserved in place; ground disturbing activities in and around 38CN1120 should be avoided. We recommend 38CN1111-38CN1119 and 38CN1121- 38CN1127 and Isolates 1–6 not eligible for the NRHP. Proposed land-disturbing activities near these sites will not affect any historic properties and should be allowed to proceed without further management consideration."

Administration Note: The timeline for the land tract is confusing due to the awkward layout of the project tract on top of several old and separate plantations.

File Information

	Name	Size	Creation Date	Date Uploaded	Access
	4055-donnelley-mitigation-final-print.pdf	94.52mb		Jun 6, 2013 1:03:12 PM	Confidential
	redacted-4055-donnelley-mitigation-final-print.pdf	74.39mb		Jun 10, 2013 10:29:16 AM	Public