"Let Me Tell You About the Very Rich." Archaeological Data Recovery at 38BU1788 and 38BU1804 Palmetto Bluff, Beaufort County, South Carolina

Summary

Brockington and Associates, Inc., conducted archaeological data recovery investigations at 38BU1804 between 26 June and 2 August 2002 and at 38BU1788 on 2-12 December 2002 under the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Palmetto Bluff, LLC, the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), and the SC Bureau of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) for each site. The investigations at both sites were conducted in partial fulfillment of the stipulations of the MOA, under Treatment Plans approved by the SHPO. The SHPO approved the 38BU1804 Treatment Plan on June 25, 2002, and the 38BU1788 Treatment Plan on October 23,2002. The SHPO’s acceptance of the 38BU1804 Management Summary on September 19, 2002 and the 38BU1788 Management Summary on February 11, 2003, permitted initiation of land disturbing activities within each site. Archaeological sites 38BU1804 and 38BU1788 are located in the “Village Area” of the Palmetto Bluff Phase I Tract, Beaufort County, South Carolina. The owner of the tract, Palmetto Bluff, LLC, proposes to develop the area as a residential and commercial area.

Site 38BU1804 was identified during an intensive cultural resources survey of the tract by Poplin (2002a). Gardner et al. (2003) tested the site and recommended the remnants of the early twentieth century Wilson House eligible for the NRHP. Gardner et al. (2003) recommended either preservation of the building ruins and their immediate surroundings or data recovery investigations at the site should preservation not be feasible. Data recovery investigations at 38BU1804 entailed hand excavations and mechanical scraping of areas in the area of the Wilson House and several outlying areas where architectural/cultural features were expected. Investigators conducted extensive excavations in the Wilson House and also identified the remnants of six outlying structures associated with the Wilson House. We employed information gained from the mapped house foundation plan and recovered artifacts from the house, as well as inspection of a collection of photographs taken of the house exterior and interior, to determine an approximation of the arrangement of rooms within the house. Site 38BU1788 was identified during an intensive cultural resources survey of the tract by Poplin (2002a). Site 38BU1788 is a secondary refuse deposit associated with the Wilson House (38BU1804). Based on its association with the Wilson House, Poplin (2002a) recommended the site eligible for the NRHP. Data recovery investigations at 38BU1788 entailed surface collections, mechanical excavations, and hand excavations in the area of two refuse pits. Our excavations at the site revealed that a full complement of kitchen-related Wilson House refuse was discarded at the site. From our excavations, we created four bottle type collections that will be available for researchers to view and compare with collections of glass vessels from other sites.

These investigations were conducted as proposed in the SHPO-approved Treatment Plans for data recovery at sites 38BU1804 and 38BU1788. These data recovery investigations recovered samples of significant information from each site. These samples were employed to address research questions consistent with the periods and type of occupation outlined in the Treatment Plans. Completion of these investigations is sufficient to resolve the adverse effect that proposed land disturbing activities will have on these NRHP sites. Land disturbing activities at 38BU1804 and38BU1788 should be allowed to proceed as planned.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Brockington and Associates, Inc.

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contributor(s): Carol Poplin

Field Director(s): Joshua N. Fletcher; Eric C. Poplin

Principal Investigator(s): Jeffrey W. Gardner

Landowner(s): Palmetto Bluff LLC

Submitted To(s): South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO); South Carolina Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM)

Record Identifiers

Brockington and Associates, Inc., report number(s): 1769

Notes

General Note: Curation facility: South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology

File Information