Cultural Resources Survey of Mullet Hall Plantation, Johns Island, Charleston County, South Carolina
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CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY OF MULLET HALL PLANTATION, JOHNS ISLAND, CHARLESTON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA CHICORA RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION 498 CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY OF MULLET HALL PLANTATION, JOHNS ISLAND CHARLESTON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA Prepared By: Michael Trinkley, Ph.D., RPA Nicole Southerland and Sarah Fick Prepared For: Mr. Kevin O’Neill Kiawah River Plantation, LP 211 King Street, Suite 300 Charleston, SC 29401 CHICORA RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION 498 Chicora Foundation, Inc. PO Box 8664 Columbia, SC 29202-8664 803/787-6910 Email:[email protected] www.chicora.org July 28, 2008 This report is printed on permanent paper ∞ ©2008 by Chicora Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or transcribed in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior permission of Chicora Foundation, Inc. except for brief quotations used in reviews. Full credit must be given to the authors, publisher, and project sponsor. ABSTRACT This study reports on an intensive cultural residential development. Site 38CH629 is a resources survey of a nearly 1,427 acre tract, Mississippian and nineteenth to twentieth century located on Johns Island in Charleston County, scatter; 38CH1730 is an unidentifiable prehistoric South Carolina. The work was conducted to assist and eighteenth century site; 38CH1731 is a Mr. Kevin O’Neill of Kiawah River Plantation, LP nineteenth to twentieth century scatter; and comply with Section 106 of the National 38CH1732 is a Woodland and nineteenth to Preservation Act and the regulations codified in twentieth century site. All four of these sites were 36CFR800. recommended not eligible for the National Register. The tract, which is located at the southern edge of Johns Island, bordering the Kiawah River, Of the sites previously identified on the will be developed for single family occupancy. Mullet Hall property, 38CH487 is described as a While still relatively rural, the surrounding area is nineteenth century slave row; however, there is being developed with neighborhoods and some confusion about the site described as commercial structures. 38CH487A. The site shown on the topographic maps at SCIAA was recorded in 1980 during a The proposed undertaking will require seventeenth century survey by Stanley South and the clearing of the tract, followed by construction Michael Hartley. While the site did not contain of various infrastructure elements, such as roads, any seventeenth century materials, it was stormwater drainage, and utilities. Individual lot described a “house ruin,” although no other construction will involve grading, additional description was given. The 1994 reconnaissance of utility construction, and subsequent building of the property revisited 38CH487A and reassigned structures. These activities have the potential to the site number as 38CH1540, however the affect archaeological and historical sites and this locations of 38CH487A and 38CH1540 are still survey was conducted to identify and assess shown in separate locations. It is believed that archaeological and historical sites that may be in 38CH487A is shown incorrectly on the 1980 site the project tract. For this study, an area of form. potential effect (APE) 0.5 mile from the proposed tract was assumed. Other previously identified sites on the property include 38CH1539, an area of An investigation of the archaeological site redeposited materials; 38CH1540, a plantation files at the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology complex; 38CH1541, an eighteenth to nineteenth and Anthropology identified four previously century main house; 38CH1542, two nineteenth recorded sites (38CH629, 38CH1730, 38CH1731, century slave rows; 38CH1543, an eighteenth 38CH1732) in the APE. An additional 13 sites century main house; 38CH1544, a nineteenth (38CH487, 38CH487A, and 38CH1539-1549) were century tenant site; 38CH1545, and late nineteenth identified on the Mullet Hall Property during a century house; 38CH1546, a nineteenth to 1994 reconnaissance by Chicora Foundation. twentieth century scatter; 38CH1547, an eighteenth to nineteenth century slave row; The four sites outside the Mullet Hall 38CH1548, Bishop Cemetery, and 38CH1549, a property (38CH629 and 38CH1730-1732) were cemetery. Although only examined at a identified during a 1999 survey for an adjacent reconnaissance level, five sites (38CH1540, i 38CH1541, 38CH1542, 38CH1547, and 38CH1548) research addressed the economic activities of each were thought to be eligible for the National of these owners, as well as the convergence of the Register. Four sites (38CH487, 38CH1543, properties under the modern ownership of 38CH1545, and 38CH1549) were potentially Limehouse. Detailed plats and maps were found eligible and three sites (38CH1539, 38CH1544, and to be invaluable in the identification and 38CH1546) were recommended not eligible for the assessment of the archaeological resources on the National Register of Historic Places. property. The S.C. Department of Archives and The archaeological survey of the tract History GIS was also consulted for any National incorporated shovel testing at 100-foot intervals on Register of Historic Places sites were in the transects that were placed at 100-foot intervals vicinity of the project area. There is one NRHP along the roads running throughout the tract. All property, the Bass Pond Site, located south of the shovel test fill was screened through ¼-inch mesh Mullet Hall Property. In addition, twelve historic and the remains were recorded. A total of 4,199 structures (365-0380, 1391, 1392, and 1464-1468 shovel tests were excavated along 375 transect and 1470-1473) were identified in the vicinity; they were recorded either during a survey of James and Sites Identified on the Mullet Hall tract Johns islands (Fick et al. 1989) or Charleston Site No. Site Type Eligibility County (Fick 1992). Site 365-0380 are the c. 1808 38CH487 slave settlement E Shoolbred graves; 1391, 1392, 1472, and 1473 are 38CH487A not identified - unidentified structures that have all been 38CH1539 redeposited NE recommended not eligible for the National 38CH1540 plantation settlement E 38CH1541 plantation settlement E Register. Site 1464 is the St. John AME Church 38CH1542 slave settlements E Cemetery; 1465 is the Hope Plantation Cemetery; 38CH1543 plantation settlement PE 1466 is the Freeman House; 1467 is the James and 38CH1544 tenant PE Hattie Freeman House (Brickley House); 1468 is 38CH1545 late 19th c house PE 38CH1546 historic scatter NE the Mt. Hebron Presbyterian Church (St. Francis 38CH1547 slave settlements E Center); 1470 is the Promised Land Reformed 38CH1548 Bishop Cemetery PE Episcopal Church; and 1471 is the Lee Glover 38CH1549 cemetery PE House. All resources are not eligible for the 38CH2240 pottery scatter NE 38CH2241 historic scatter NE National Register except 1468, which was 38CH2242 prehistoric & historic scatter PE recommended eligible. 38CH2243 prehistoric & historic scatter NE 38CH2244 prehistoric & historic scatter PE In preparation of the field investigation, a 38CH2245 historic scatter NE 38CH2246 prehistoric scatter NE detailed historical context for Johns Island was 38CH2247 prehistoric scatter NE prepared using a variety of primary sources. 38CH2248 historic settlement E Areas of special interest include the military 38CH2249 prehistoric scatter NE history of the island, as well as the development of 38CH2250 prehistoric & historic scatter PE 38CH2251 20th c trash dump NE a plantation economy. Careful attention was paid 38CH2252 historic scatter PE to comparing the agricultural schedules for Johns 38CH2253 prehistoric & historic scatter NE Island with surrounding areas in order to explore 38CH2254 historic scatter NE events specific to the island setting. An area of the island’s history that has received far too little lines. attention is the development of truck farming. The tract specific history took ownership back to the As a result of these investigations, 26 sites late eighteenth century, identifying that today’s were identified. These include eleven originally Mullet Hall consisted of three primary properties identified sites (38CH487, 38CH1539-1543, and during the antebellum -- from west to east, the 38CH1545-38CH1549) and fifteen newly identified plantation of James Legare, Solomon Legare, and sites (38CH2240-2254). The area of 38CH487A was Benjamin Roper (The Oaks). This historical revisited, but no remains were found. In addition, ii site 38CH1544 was found to be located off the sites recommends five sites eligible (38CH487, Mullet Hall property, so no further work was 38CH1540, 38CH1541, 38CH1542, and 38CH2248), performed. 12 not eligible (38CH1539, 38CH1546, 38CH1549, 38CH2240-2241, 38CH2243, 38CH2245-2247, For the newly identified sites, 38CH2240 is 38CH2249, and 38CH2253-2254), and nine a prehistoric pottery scatter; 38CH2241 is a potentially eligible (38CH1543, 38CH1545, nineteenth to twentieth century scatter; 38CH2242 38CH1547-1549, 38CH2242, 2244 , 38CH2250, and is a prehistoric and eighteenth century scatter; 38CH2252). 38CH2243 is a prehistoric and eighteenth to nineteenth century scatter; 38CH2244 is a Finally, it is possible that archaeological prehistoric and eighteenth to twentieth century remains may be encountered in the project area scatter; 38CH2245 is a nineteenth to twentieth during clearing activities. Crews should be century scatter; 38CH2246 is a prehistoric pottery advised to report any discoveries of scatter;