Powering Scholars: Continued Research into a Late 19th Century Coal Midden at Clemson Agricultural College

Grace A Lockett; David M. Markus

Powering Scholars: Continued Research into a Late 19th Century Coal Midden at Clemson Agricultural College

Author(s): Grace A Lockett; David M. Markus

Year: 2020

Summary

This is a paper/report submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In 2018 Clemson University, began excavations of on-campus archaeological resources, focusing on the Antebellum home of Thomas Clemson, Fort Hill Plantation. To date, research has focused on locating outbuildings related to the plantation’s operation. Due to its location in the center of campus, Fort Hill has had several post-bellum occupations which allow for research into the development of the college itself. One piece of evidence of the later uses of the Fort Hill site is a coal and coal waste midden that overlays the plantation-era deposits. Though coal is typically an under-studied artifact category, the deposits at Fort Hill allow us to use coal as an analytic tool to address turn-of-the-century developments in the Upstate region. This paper will explore this ubiquitous material and explain its significance on the early University landscape. The sources of coal will be identified to better understand the socioeconomic decisions made by Clemson Agricultural College.

Cite this Record

Powering Scholars: Continued Research into a Late 19th Century Coal Midden at Clemson Agricultural College. Grace A Lockett, David M. Markus. 2020 ( tDAR id: 457144)