Cultural Resources Survey of the SCE&G Saluda Dam Complex

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Cultural Resources Survey of the SCE&G Saluda Dam Complex CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY OF rHE SCE&G SALUDA DAM COMPLEX, LEXINGTON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA CHICORA RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION 306 © 2001 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. CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY OF THE SCE&G SALUDA DAM COMPLEX, LEXINGTON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA 1 Prepar~d By: Michael Trinkley, Ph.D. Prepared For: Mr. David Haddon South Carolina Electric & Gas Company 6248 Bush River Road Columbia, SC 29212 CHICORA RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION 306 Chicora Foundation, Inc. PO Box8664 Columbia, SC 29202-8664 803/787-6910 Email: [email protected] www.chicora.org January 8, 2001 This reporl is printed on pennanent paper oc ABSTRACT This report provides the results of a cultural found to be less than 50 years in age, but are likely to resources investigation of the 550 acre Saluda (Lake be eligible when they are old enough. Of these 11 Murray) Dam Complex, situated in north central resources on the survey tract, five are recommended Lexington County, about 11 miles northwest of eligible (2430127.0, 2430127.02-.04, 2350304), Columbia. The study was conducted by Dr. Michael three are recommended not eligible (2430127.01, Trinkley of Chicora Foundation for South Carolina 2430128, and 2430303), and three are less than 50, Electric & Gas (SCE&G) and is in anticipation of years old, but are likely to be eligible when they are old extensive modifications to the Saluda Dam mandated by enough (2430127.05-.07). the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The work is intended to assist SCE&G comply with The archaeological survey consisted of shovel Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act testing at 100 foot intervals along transects laid out at and the regulations codified in 36CFR800. 100 foot intervals covering approximately 250 of the 550 acres. The remaining portion of the tract had-been Historically the area appears to have been extensively damaged by activities associated with the sparsely settled d~ing the nineteenth century and even original dam construction or the- use of the facili-t;y-for into the early twentieth century there were few farms in power ge_~eration. Not surveyed wer~-borrow. pits, areas the immediate area. This dearth ·of settlement may have under; buildings or substations, the acreage under the been the result of poor soils and extensive erosion~ ·By dam, the areas used today as ash ponds, the coal depot, the early twentieth century settlement appears to have and similar locations. We found that even in·lhose areas been focused on the road network leading to the two that appeared i:htact there was considerable evidence of ferries, called Hope F~rry and Dreher Ferry, east and erosion and logging. Land management activities on the west of the study tract. Even along Bush River Road, tract are minimal, so there are areas of very dense pine which runs along the north edge of the project, there forest, as well as areas almost completely denuded for was little settlement. powerline right-of-ways. The shovel tests throughout the tract revealed very thin soils overlying clay subsoil. Although l-26 is situated only six miles to the northeast and the complex is situated between the towns The archaeological investigations identified · of Lexington and Irmo, much of the area is essentially eight archaeological sites (38LX410, 434-440) and one rural in nature. It has only been within the past decade isolated find (38LXOO) on the study tract. These sites that a number of subdivisions have begun to be include both prehistoric lithic scatters and historic constructed in the area and this rural character has dump sites (no clearly defined domestic sites were begun to fade. As a result, the area of potential effects identified), The sites are all heavily eroded and (APE) was defined as 1.0 mile from the outer edge of extensively damaged by previous cultivation and logging. the SCE&G site. This has incorporated an APE of None evidence good integrity and it is unlikely that any approximately 5,500 acres. of the sites can address significant research questions. They are all recommended not eligible for inclusion on Forty-one historic sites were identified within the National Register. the APE, including 11 (2430126.0-.07, 2430128, 2430303, and 2430304) located on the survey tract. It is possible that archaeological remains may We recommend 24 of these resources not eligible, two be encountered in the project area during construction. potentially eligible (and requiring additional research Construction crews should be advised to report any beyond the scope of this study), and 12 eligible for discoveries of concentrations of artifacts (such as inclusion on the National Register. Three sites were bottles, ceramics, or projectile points) or brick rubble to the project engineer, who should in turn report the material to the State Historic Preservation Office or to Chicora Foundation (the process of dealing with late discoveries is discussed in 36CFR800.13(b)(3)). No construction should take place in the vicinity of these late discoveries until they have been examined by an archaeologist and, if necessary, have been processed according to 36CFR800.13(b)(3). ii • TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures iv List of Tables v Introduction 1 Natural Environment 5 Physiographic Province 5 Geology and Soils 6 Climate 9 F/oristics 9 Prehiston'c Bnviro~ment 10 Prehistoric and Historic Synopsis 13 Prehistoric Overview 13 Historical Synopsis 19 Hi;ton'c Context for the Development of Electric Power Resources 27 Electrical Development in South Carolina 31 The Development of the Lake Murray Project 32 Continued Development 45 An Overview of Construction Activities 46 Methods 51 JJe,;t;f'cation of the Survey Area 51 Archaeological Field Methods 58 Architectural Survey 59 Site Evaluations 60 Laboratory Analysis 61 Results of Survey 63 Jntroduction 63 Archaeological Sites 63 Historic Resources 82 Genera/ Overview of Other Resources 89 Conclusions 93 Sources Cited 97 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Location of the project in Lexington County 2 2. Survey tract 3 3. Soils in the project area 7 4. Portion of the Reconnaissance Erosion Map of Lexington County 8 5. Ax.ea of still active erosion 9 6. Logged area in survey tract 10 7. Dense second growth forest 11 8. Open, more mesic forest 12 9. Generalized cultural sequence for South Carolina 14 10. Portion of Mouzon's 1775 map showing th~ project area 20 11. Portion of Mills' Atlas showing the project area 21 12. Dreher' s Canal disco_vered during construction of Lake Murray 22 13. "Rock House" associated with Dreher' s Canal 23 14. View of the area during Sherman's march 25 15. Stroeber's 1873 map of Lexington showing the project area 26 16. Operation of hydroelectric and fossil. fuel plants 29 17. View of the f!oodpool during clearing 34 18. Layout of administrative buildings, mess hall, land office building, and bunk houses 34 19. P orlion of the 1922 Lexington County soil survey showing the project area 35 20. Pre-construction map of the dam area 36 21. Land Atlas of the dam area 37 22. Temporary bridge under construction 38 23. View of the temporary bridge in 1930 38 24. Penstock construction in 1929 39 25. View of the dam construction looking north 39 26. View of the north bank of the Saluda River 40 27. View of the Saluda Hydroelectric powerhouse under construction 40 28. Completed Saluda Hydroelectric project about 1935 41 29. Aerial view of the Saluda dam and powerhouse 41 30. Cross section view of the Saluda powerhouse 42 31. Bil.lbo.,d °'ected by the Lexington Water Power Authority 43 32. View of the spillway 44 33. Close-up of the Yninger Cemetery show in Figure 32 44 34. View of the completed McMeekin Station 45 35. Close-up view of the McMeekin Station about 1970 45 36. Expansion of the Saluda Hydroelectric plant about 1971 46 37. Aerial view of the dam complex about 1930 47 38. Dam complex and vicinity in 1943 49 39. Upper left section of the survey area 52 40. Upper right section of the survey area 53 41. Central left section of the survey area 54 iv 42. Central right section of the survey area 55 43. Lower left section of the survey area 56 44. Lower right section of the survey area 57 45. Cultural resources identified within the APE 64 46. Plan view of isolated find 38LXOO 67 47. Plan view of the Yninger Cemetery 68 48. View of the Yninger Cemetery 69 49. Plan and shovel test profile for 38LX434 70 50. View of 38LX434 71 51. Plan and shovel test profile for 38LX435 72 52. Plan and shovel test profile for 38LX436 74 53. View of 38LX436 75 54. Plan and shovel test profile for 38LX437 76 55. Plan and shovel test profile for 38LX438 77 56. View of 38LX439 and the access road 79 57. Plan and shovel test profile for 38LX439 80 58. Plan and shovel test profile for 38LX440 81 59. View of the Saluda Hydroelectric plant powerhouse 83 60. Stone entryway across the dam 83 61. Tainter gates and spillway 84 62. Switching house at the spillway 84 63. McMeekin plant 85 64. McMeekin track hopper house 86 65. "Power for Progress" sign 86 66. Remnant caissons for the temporary bridge 87 · 6 7. Harmon Spring 88 LIST OF TABLES Table 1.
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