Unearthing History: SC Archaeologists on a Quest to Discover Slave Quarters in Public Excavation

HILTON HEAD — Investigators suspect that Green’s Shell Enclosure Heritage Preserve served as a ritual location for Native American groups that once occupied the Sea Islands of the state. Many years later, it was part of a substantial plantation, as stated by South Carolina archaeologists.

As archaeologists excavate, aiming to unveil the remains of prior slave quarters, along with additional relics from the area’s Native American past, they will open the site next month for the public to explore and watch their activities.

Between January 7-16, archaeologists will conduct three complimentary tours each day to demonstrate to interested attendees how they unearth information about a specific location. Each tour is restricted to 15 participants, prompting the Department of Natural Resources to recommend registering for the occasion.

A key benefit of public tours is that individuals can witness all the efforts archaeologists undertake, rather than just the ceramics or other objects exhibited in galleries, project manager Meg Gaillard explained to the SC Daily Gazette.

The tours must remain limited in size due to the excavation work, which will entail boring holes throughout the 3-acre site. Initially, they plan to set up a grid of 100 holes, each approximately 30 centimeters wide and 100 centimeters deep, which Gaillard refers to as “windows into the ground.”

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The archaeologists will utilize their findings to determine where to broaden their excavation, seeking artifacts that may date back as early as 1335 A.D., coinciding approximately with the Renaissance period in Europe.

“I would recommend people visit us a few times during the field season, as they will observe slightly different perspectives on archaeology in the various weeks,” Gaillard stated.

Green’s Shell Enclosure derives its name from an enclosure composed of oyster and other shells that winds through part of the land. The ridge, measuring between 20 to 30 feet wide at the base and 4 feet high at its tallest sections, was constructed by Native Americans during a phase known as the Irene phase, according to DNR. The phase is named after an excavation at Irene Plantation near Savannah, Georgia.

The residents of Green’s Shell were agriculturalists residing in large communities. They utilized shells to craft pendants known as gorgets, masks, and beads.

According to DNR, archaeologists suspect that the enclosure might have served as a ceremonial site. Artifacts, including traces of pottery, could provide researchers with a clearer understanding of activities that occurred there, Gaillard mentioned.

Investigators also aspire to reveal some more recent history.

At one time, the enclosure was situated in the western part of the 1,000-acre Fairfield Plantation, commonly referred to as Stoney’s Place. Approximately 150 enslaved individuals are believed to have resided on the plantation during the 1800s, as noted by DNR.

A dig in the 1980s uncovered the remains of a chimney within the preserve, in the same area where historical records indicated the presence of slave quarters. Archaeologists are hopeful to unveil the foundations for these quarters, whether it consists of artifacts or merely alterations in the soil that suggest a structure previously existed there.

The state acquired the site in 1991.

Researchers regularly explore the state’s 18 cultural preserves, intended to safeguard places of cultural significance, yet large-scale excavations like this are infrequent.

Archaeologists aim to find a balance between what they excavate and what they leave behind for future researchers who may possess more advanced technology to uncover, Gaillard noted.

Because the archaeologists who examined the property in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s left portions of it untouched, present-day researchers have been able to employ newer ground-penetrating radar to identify the potential remains of the slave quarters from the former plantation, Gaillard stated.

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Archaeologists will follow the same approach this time, excavating approximately 17% of the site to retain some enigmas for future researchers to decipher, she explained.

“In 20 years, there may be another excavation conducted there for the next generation that will reveal much more about the past, which is very thrilling,” Gaillard said.

While artifacts often come to mind when individuals think of excavations, other subtleties in the land that are not immediately observable can provide just as much, and occasionally more, information, Gaillard asserted.

“For an archaeologist, there is so much more to that research than solely the items and objects that we extract from the ground,” Gaillard explained. “At times, the soil itself narrates a remarkable story that we can analyze for visitors who come to see us.”