Archaeology at an Eighteenth Century Slave Settlement in Goose Creek, South Carolina
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ARCHAEOLOGY AT AN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY SLAVE SETTLEMENT IN GOOSE CREEK, SOUTH CAROLINA CHICORA FOUNDATION RESEARCH SERIES 57 ARCHAEOLOGY AT AN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY SLAVE SETTLEMENT IN GOOSE CREEK, SOUTH CAROLINA Research Series 57 Michael Trinkley Debi Hacker Nicole Southerland With Contributions By: Kerri S. Barile Arthur Cohen Suzanne Coyle Irwin Rovner Chicora Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 8664 P 861 Arbutus Drive Columbia, South Carolina 29202 803/787-6910 www.chicora.org December 2003 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publications Data Trinkley, Michael Archaeology at an eighteenth century slave settlement in Goose Creek, South Carolina / Michael Trinkley, Debi Hacker, Nicole Southerland ; with contributions by Kerri S. Barile … [et al.]. p. cm. -- (Research series ; 57) “December 2003” Includes bibliographic references (p. ). ISBN 1-58317-051-0 (alk. paper) 1. Crowfield Plantation Site (S.C.) 2. Slaves—South Carolina—Goose Creek Region—History. 3. Plantation life—South Carolina—Goose Creek Region—History. 4. Goose Creek Region (S.C.)—Antiquities. 5. Excavations (Archaeology)—South Carolina—Goose Creek Region. 6. African Americans—South Carolina—Goose Creek Region—Antiquities. I. Hacker, Debi. II. Southerland, Nicole, 1978- III. Title. IV. Research series (Chicora Foundation) ; 57. F279.C78T745 2003 975.7’93—dc22 2003066524 © 2003 by Chicora Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transcribed in any form without permission of Chicora Foundation, except for brief quotations used in reviews. Full credit must be given to the authors and the publisher. ISBN 1-58317-051-0 ISSN 0882-2041 The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. ∞ Making plans is often the occupation of an opulent and boastful mind, which thus obtains the reputation of a creative genius by demanding what it cannot itself supply, by censuring what it cannot improve, and by proposing what it knows not where to find. -- Immanuel Kant, 1783 ABSTRACT Crowfield Plantation, best known for its At the far southern end of the slave elaborate gardens and home of William Middleton settlement a series of curved several fence lines, during the first half of the eighteenth century, is likely intended as animal pens, were identified. situated in the Goose Creek area of lower Berkeley This appears to represent the southern edge of the County, South Carolina. About 12 miles northwest plantation settlement and beyond were likely of Charleston, it was in an area of South Carolina agricultural fields and woods. as well known for its wealth and social elite as it was for its rice. The examination of these portions of Crowfield found relatively few English ceramics, This study explores two different areas of but large quantities of a low fired earthenware the plantation – part of the main settlement often called Colono ware. The study of the (38BK103) and the slave settlement (38BK1011). material remains at 38BK103 and 38BK1011 Both were about to be impacted by development therefore focused on this pottery, including a activities and this work was conducted to help typological study, examining paste, rim forms, preserve part of the unique history of this vessel size, and evidence of use. exceptional plantation. Some tentative study has been conducted, Much of the main settlement area is in an using gas chromatography and spectrographic area of a golf course, although the main house, analysis, of the carbonized remains within these flankers, and portions of the gardens have been Colono ware vessels. This is the first example of preserved. That portion of the main settlement to lipid research on these African American used the southwest of the mansion is the focus of the vessels. current examination. It encompasses what appears to be an agricultural storage or activity area and The remainder of the study incorporated included the archaeological remains of three analysis of both pollen and phytolith remains buildings: two large, brick storehouses and a identified in various features at the site, as well as much smaller brick utility building. analysis of the faunal collection recovered from the slave settlement. Also examined and included The slave settlement area is situated even in this research is the ethnobotanical material further to the southwest of the main settlement, recovered from flotation of several features at the clustered on one side of what historically was sites. probably a pond or low wet area. The remains of at least six slave houses have been identified – all but one of which were wall trench structures consisting of upright posts set into a wall trench. Stick and vine wattle was likely woven between these uprights and then plastered with clay. This settlement lacks the rigid orientations typical of later eighteenth and early nineteenth century slave compounds and instead seems to at least partially encircle the low ponded area. i ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables v List of Figures vi Introduction 1 The Natural Setting 1 The Agricultural Basis of Crowfield Plantation 7 The History of Crowfield Plantation 9 Previous Investigations at Crowfield 23 Synthesis Based on Survey and Testing Data 32 Preparation of a Data Recovery Plan 33 Research Goals 34 Curation 36 Excavations 37 Field Strategy and Methodology 37 Excavation Results at 38BK103 40 Excavation Results at 38BK1011 53 Summary 73 Artifacts 81 Introduction 81 38BK103 83 38BK1011 93 The Colono Wares 117 Introduction 117 Analytical Methods 117 Results of Traditional Analytical Techniques 118 Comparison of Colono from the Crowfield and Broom Hall Slave Settlements 124 Conclusions 126 Colono Ware Smoothing Stones . Michael Trinkley and Kerri S. Barile 129 Introduction 129 The Nature of Smoothing Stones 129 Function 131 Analysis of Charred Remains on Colono Ware Sherds 133 Introduction 133 Understanding Lipids 134 The Crowfield Analysis 135 Summary 137 Faunal Remains . Suzanne Coyle 139 Introduction 139 Analytical Techniques for Faunal Remains 139 iii Identified Fauna 139 Analysis and Interpretation of the Faunal Remains 141 Comparison to Other Sites 143 Conclusion 143 Analysis of Phytoliths . Irwin Rovner 145 Introduction 145 Methods 146 Conclusions 149 Pollen Analysis. Arthur D. Cohen 151 Introduction 151 38BK103 – Feature 3 151 38BK103 – Feature 4 151 38BK1011 – Feature 8 151 Ethnobotanical Remains 153 Introduction 153 Procedures and Results 154 Discussion 155 Conclusions 159 Dating of the Settlements 159 Intra-Site Patterning 159 Variability of Slave Diets 161 Evidence of Social Stratification 161 Details Concerning Slave Architecture 163 Abundance (or Absence) of European Goods 163 The Nature of Colono 164 Conclusions 164 Sources Cited 165 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Major Charleston hurricanes through the early nineteenth century 7 2. Barn sizes 42 3. Artifact density at Structure 8 46 4. Outbuildings similar to Structure 8 at Crowfield 48 5. Artifact density of yard areas 57 6. Artifact and brick density in 1420-1430R910-930 58 7. Artifact density around Structure 1 67 8. Mean ceramic date for Structure 8 88 9. Mean ceramic date for Work Areas 91 10. Previously published artifact patterns compared to 38BK103 92 11. Mean ceramic date for Structure 1 94 12. Mean ceramic date for the Yard Area of Structure 1 98 13. Mean ceramic date for Structures 2, 3, and 4 101 14. Mean ceramic date for Structures 5 and 6 102 15. Mean ceramic date for Structure 7 104 16. Mean ceramic date for Yard Areas 106 17. Mean ceramic date for the Animal Pen 108 18. Mean ceramic dates for various proveniences 109 19. Previously published artifact patterns compared to 38BK1011 110 20. Artifacts from 38BK103 and 38BK1011 111 21. Shape and function of vessels 112 22. Comparison of vessel forms from Crowfield and Broom Hall 112 23. Comparison of smoothing stones 129 24. Major fatty acids and their sources 134 25. Fatty acid profile and sterol analysis 135 26. Fatty acid profiles for common fats 138 27. Crowfield faunal inventory 140 28. Crowfield site totals 141 29. Crowfield faunal remains by site 142 30. Comparison of the Crowfield fauna to similar sites 143 31. Frequency counts of selected phytolith types 148 32. Pollen identified from the Crowfield Feature 8 sample 152 33. Analysis of flotation samples 155 34. Analysis of hand picked charcoal samples 156 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Location of Crowfield Plantation 1 2. Portions of the Mount Holly and Ladson topographic maps 2 3. Crowfield gardens 22 4. Simplified floor plan 23 5. Site 38BK103 as reported by Elliott 24 6. Site 38BK1011 as reported by Elliott 24 7. Site 38BK1012 as reported by Elliott 25 8. Site areas at 38BK103 as defined by Webb and Gantt 27 9. Site areas at 38BK1011 as defined by Webb and Gantt 28 10. Computer density map of shovel test artifacts 29 11. Computer density map of shovel test brick rubble 29 12. View of 38BK103 41 13. Excavation in 1590R1400-1405 41 14. Excavation in 1590R1400-1405 42 15. Excavations in 1590-1600R1440 43 16. Excavations in 1655R1140 44 17. Northwest corner of Structure 9 44 18. Structures 7, 8, and 9 at 38BK103 45 19. Structure 8 46 20. Excavation in 1710R1420-1430 47 21. Interior of Structure 8 at 38BK103 48 22. Units 1720-1740R1320, east profile 49 23. Excavation in 1720-1740R1320 50 24. Excavation in 1640R1250 51 25. Excavation in 1830R1380 52 26. Archaeological grid for Crowfield Plantation 54 27. Excavation in 1210-1220R960, 1220-1230R970 55 28. Excavation of Feature 10 56 29. Excavation in 1350R1210 57 30. Excavation in 1420-1430R910-930 58 31. 1420-1430R910-430 59 32. Feature 2, south half excavated 60 33. Feature 8, west half excavated 61 34. Structures 1, 5, and 6 at 38BK1011 62 35. Stripped Areas 2 and 3 at 38BK1011 63 36.