The Archaeology of Hampton Plantation, Glynn County, Georgia

Summary

A study of Hampton Plantation, located in Glynn County, Georgia. Hampton Plantation was a part of the vast Pierce Butler estate, which also encompassed Butler Island. Approximately 300 enslaved laborers resided at Hampton alone, with another 500 persons at Butler Island. This was one of the largest slave operations ever conducted in the antebellum South. In the fall of 2002, the Sea Island Company contracted with Brockington and Associates, Inc., to carry out intensive Phase II testing at three archaeological sites (9GN197, 9GN203, and 9GN290) initially identified during the cultural resources survey for the proposed St. Simons Island North Tract development, Glynn County, Georgia (Charles and Whitley 2001). Phase III data recovery excavations were carried out at all three sites in the spring of 2003 by archaeologists working in the Atlanta office of Brockington and Associates, Inc. Site 9GN197 (St. Anne’s slave settlement on the Hampton Plantation) and 9GN290 (a multi-component site without a shell midden component) were excavated by Scott Butler and Sudha Shah. 9GN197 overlaps with the eastern edge of 9GN203 (Wallys Leg Site), while 9GN290 is located some 500 meters to the south of 9GN203. Although St. Anne’s slave settlement is considered a later occupation of 9GN203, it was decided that due to its historical significance the site would be investigated and reported separately from 9GN203 (see Butler 2005).

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Brockington and Associates, Inc.

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Principal Investigator(s): Scott Butler; Terry G. Powis

Landowner(s): The Sea Island Company (Sea Island, Georgia)

Sponsor(s): The Sea Island Company (Sea Island, Georgia)

Submitted To(s): Georgia State Historic Preservation Office