The Barnwell Tabby: Rewriting the Historical Narrative of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The Barnwell Archaeological Research Project is a multi-disciplinary endeavor incorporating archaeological excavations, historical and archival research, and geological dating analysis exploring a tabby structure located at the Barnwell Site (38BU90), Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA. Undertaken at the request of the landowner, the project has worked to determine when this building was constructed, the building’s purpose, and the role of enslaved African peoples within it. Preliminary findings contest the previous understanding of this site and disrupt the accepted historical narrative of the north end of Hilton Head Island. The project will use this information to develop an educational community outreach program to inform residents and visitors alike about this largely overlooked part of history on Hilton Head Island. Highlighting our current understanding of site occupation and function, this paper explores the challenges of rewriting popular historical narratives through the lens of the project’s successes and challenges to date.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SHA 2023 General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow