"The Prospects Of Obtaining Wealth With Ease": Considering Native American Enslavement In The Archaeological Record At Drayton Hall.

Summary

Drayton Hall, twelve miles northwest of Charleston, SC, is best known for its 18th century surviving example of Palladian architecture, despite the history of British occupation of the property dating to 1673. As a Restoration-period colony the development of the plantation system and influx of both colonists from other European dominions and newcomers to the Americas resulted in a different trajectory of growth in the Carolina Proprietorship than previous English endeavors. Through the historical narrative of what is known of the five pre-Drayton owners of plantation (1673 – 1738), it is known that all owned Native American slaves, many of whom were brought into the colony through transportation from New England and Virginia. When this is considered with the archaeological record of features dating to the 17th century, the artifacts suggest hybridization in vessel forms brought from other regions that relate to the practice of enslavement following warfare and territorial expansion.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

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Contact(s): Nicole Haddow