PHASE II ARCHAEOLOGICAL TESTING AT THE CAMPBELLTON SITE (38AK276), HAMMOND FERRY SOCCER COMPLEX AIKEN COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA

Summary

"In October 2004, the City of North Augusta contracted with TRC to conduct Phase II archaeological investigations on portions of 38AK276, also known as Campbellton. The site was originally recommended potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) subsequent to a Phase I cultural resources survey conducted by AF Consultants (Drucker and Barr 2004). AF Consultants recommended either avoidance or additional investigations if avoidance was not possible. The City of North Augusta Parks, Recreation and Leisure Services is constructing a soccer complex on a portion of the site and requested that evaluative testing be conducted on that portion. Excavations conducted by TRC at 38AK276 took place from October 5–8, 2004. These investigations resulted in the recovery of 432 artifacts and the discovery of one feature. Historic artifacts recovered from the site include ceramics, bottle glass, brick, and nails, while prehistoric artifacts include lithics and ceramics. The feature, found in Test Unit 1, is a late eighteenth–early nineteenth century posthole that may be from a structure or a fence line. Based on the results of excavation and analysis, the portion of site 38AK276 to be impacted by the Hammond Ferry Soccer Complex is considered to be insignificant, and TRC recommends there will be no adverse affect to the site. Portions of the site lying outside of the area investigated may contain significant deposits and the site should remain potentially eligible for the NRHP."

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Aiken County

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contributor(s): Ramona Grunden; Sean Norris; Philip MacArthur; Genevieve Taylor; Larissa Thomas

Principal Investigator(s): William Green

Sponsor(s): City of North Augusta Parks, Recreation and Leisure Services

Prepared By(s): TRC Garrow Associates, Inc.

Record Identifiers

TRC Project No.(s): 44387

Notes

General Note: "TRC completed Phase II archaeological testing at site 38AK276, located on Hammond Ferry Road in the city of North Augusta. The property is owned by the City of North Augusta and is being investigated prior to construction of a recreational soccer complex. Archaeological investigations at the site included the excavation of six 1 × 1-m test units. Over 400 artifacts were recovered, including 96 prehistoric artifacts. Most of artifacts represent a late eighteenth–early nineteenth century occupation that is consistent with the site’s identification as Campbellton, a short-lived tobacco station and ferry crossing. The initial Phase I survey suggested that the site, although obviously disturbed in some places, may have contained intact features below the plowzone. The report described the site as “peripherally associated” with Campbellton, whose original location was “destroyed by the development” of a nearby subdivision (Drucker and Barr 2004:12). Nevertheless, they found 38AK276 potentially eligible for the NRHP based on the possibility that it could provide information on Campbellton’s “organization, function, growth/demise, and social demographics” (Drucker and Barr 2004:57). Phase II investigations conducted by TRC confirmed that the site has been extensively disturbed, and that site soils are deflated. One feature, a small postmold, was encountered below the plowzone; however, additional excavations within the proposed impact area are not likely to yield significant information. It is possible that other features are present, but the area in question is quite small and additional features will not reveal site structure, nor will further excavation provide comparative data needed to address the issues of site function and demographics. Furthermore, the poor preservation and homogenous nature of the artifact assemblage is not conducive to detailed analyses that might provide important data. Based on these findings, it is TRCs recommendation that construction of the Hammond Ferry Soccer Complex will have no adverse effect on site 38AK276; however, the site as a whole should remain potentially eligible for the NRHP since additional investigations outside of the area investigated could yield additional information about the history of Campbellton."

File Information