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Initial Archeological Investigations at Silver Bluff Plantation Aiken County, South Carolina James D University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Archaeology and Anthropology, South Carolina Research Manuscript Series Institute of 10-1980 Initial Archeological Investigations at Silver Bluff Plantation Aiken County, South Carolina James D. Scurry J. Walter Joseph Fritz Hamer University of South Carolina, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/archanth_books Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Scurry, James D.; Joseph, J. Walter; and Hamer, Fritz, "Initial Archeological Investigations at Silver Bluff lP antation Aiken County, South Carolina" (1980). Research Manuscript Series. 161. https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/archanth_books/161 This Book is brought to you by the Archaeology and Anthropology, South Carolina Institute of at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Research Manuscript Series by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Initial Archeological Investigations at Silver Bluff lP antation Aiken County, South Carolina Keywords Excavations, Silver Bluff lP antation, Aiken County, South Carolina, Archeology Disciplines Anthropology Publisher The outhS Carolina Institute of Archeology and Anthropology--University of South Carolina Comments In USC online Library catalog at: http://www.sc.edu/library/ This book is available at Scholar Commons: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/archanth_books/161 INITIAL ARCHEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT SILVER BLUFF PLANTATION AIKEN COUNTY., SOUTH CAROLINA by James D. Scurry., J. Walter Joseph., and Fritz Hamer Research Manuscript Series 168 The University of South Carolina offers equal opportunity in its employment, admissions and educational activities, in accordance with Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and other civil rights laws. Prepared by the INSTITUTE OF ARCHEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA October, 1980 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iv LIST OF FIGURES .. vi LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii INTRODUCTION •...• 1 PHYSIOGRAPHIC SETTING . 3 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SILVER BLUFF PLANTATION 5 Spatial Definition of SilveY' Bluff. .••. 5 EaY'ly ExploY'ations in the silveY' Bluff AY'ea 6 EaY'ly OwneY'ship of SilveY' Bluff •.••.••• 10 GeoY'ge Galphin: EaY'ly HistoY'Y ••••••.••••. 15 Settlement and Development of silveY' Bluff: 1750~1775 17 SilveY' Bluff and the AmeY'ioan WaY' foY' Independence ...•• 22 SilveY' Bluff in DecZine:l781-1830 .•••••••. 25 James Hammond and the Plantation at silveY' Bluff • 27 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND SURVEY METHODOLOGY . • ~ • • • II! 31 FIELD PHASE •••••••••••••••• 35 ANALYSIS OF ARTIFACTS FROM SILVER BLUFF PLANTATION 39 Aboviginal/PY'ehistoY'io •• l!I 39 CeY'amics . 39 Lithics .. .. " ..... .. 42 OtheY' ••. ••• 44 HistoY'ic PeY'iod .• •• ••• ••••.•••• c. 45 CeY'amics •••. 45 Pipe Stem and Bowl FY'agments . 54 GZass •..... .. '" t 55 AY'chitectur'al AY'tifacts 57 CZothing .. .. ......".. 60 Gun PaY'ts ••..••• . 60 FurnituY'e .••••• 60 Kitchen Utensils •.• •• .••.• ••. 60 FaY'm Implements .•••••.•••••. 62 MisceUaneous AY'tifaots .••.••. 62 Unidentifiable Metal ••.•••• 62 BY'ick~ Cochina~ and Schist FY'agments . .. .. 63 ModeY'n AY'tifaots ••• 63 SUJrlJ7l~y •••••• • • II! II' ••• .. • .. •• • • 63 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED) Page INTRA-SITE ARTIFACT PATTERNING AT SILVER BLUFF PLANTATION 65 IntY'oduation ••.•...•..•.••.••.. 65 TempoY'al Plaaement of SilveY' Bluff Plantation 65 AboriginaZ ................ 65 Historic ................ 66 Spatial PatteY'ning at SilveY' Bluff Plantation 68 Histone ................ 73 AY'tifaat Patteming at SilveY' Btuff Plantation 73 AboY'iginaZ •••. 73 Historia •.••••• 74 FiY'ebY'eak SaatteY' .••.••• 76 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS • ... , .. 7? APPENDIX A INVENTORY OF ARCHEOLOGICAL MATERIALS RECOVERED FROM SILVER BLUFF PLANTATION BY PROVENIENCE •••••••••• •• 81 APPENDIX B MEAN CERAMIC DATE FOR THE COLLECTION UNITS AT SILVER BLUFF PLANTATION •••••••••••• •• 88 REFERENCES •••••••• 91 iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are numerous individuals and agencies whose assistance and encouragement made the Silver Bluff project possible. Major funding was provided by a grant through the South Carolina Department of Archives and History with additional financial support from the Aiken County Historical Commission, the Augusta Archeological Society, the Town and Country Club of Aiken, and the late Mr. Roy Lyons. Very special thanks are extended to Dr. Donald R. Sutherland of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History for his assistance in the preparation of the grant proposal and for his support of the project throughout its duration and to Dr. John Beth of the University of South Carolina-Aiken for his assistance in the direction of the field phase of the project. Special thanks are also extended to Dan Connelly, manager of the Silver Bluff property, for coordinating the field work with the farming schedule, for discing the site area, and for furnishing needed facilities during the often inclement weather. Our most sincere appreciation is extended to those individuals who braved the erratic weather to provide the labor force necessary to com­ plete the field work. While the total list of volunteers is too numerous to include with this report, the following 28 individuals provided approximately 80% of the total man-hours and deserve special consideration: John Beth, Don Blount, Joseph Blount, Ken Brooks, Smokey Brooks, Dan Connelly, Andy Cwalina, Jan Cwalina, Barbara Grooms, Becky James, Joe Joseph, Paula Joseph, Amanda Lambert, Leslie Lambert, George Lewis, Pat McCoy, Marilyn McGahee, John O'Shea, Terry Overstreet, Barbie Poston, Henry Randolph, Tracy Smigh, Seth Surasky, Paul Thompson, Jill Trefz, Steve Vandervelde, Paul Williams, and Scott Wilson. Special thanks are also extended to Dr. Leland Ferguson of the Department of Anthropology at the University of South Carolina for his useful comments on the prehistoric ceramic assemblage from the Silver Bluff site. Thanks are also extended to Doug Becker, a computer science major at the university, for his work with the SYMAP program. Various members of the Institute staff also provided invaluable assistance during the course of the Silver Bluff project. Dr. Robert L. Stephenson, Director of the Institute, provided guidance and advisory assistance during the project and was particularly supportive of the cooperative professional-volunteer effort. Glen Hanson and Richard Brooks, who have conducted extensive archeological researap in the Savannah River valley, shared their knowledge of the prehistoric and historic background of the area and provided many useful comments. Dr. Kenneth Lewis and Stanley South offered many useful comments about settlement on the South Carolina frontier. Special thanks are extended to Katherine Singley for the conserva­ tion of the metal artifacts pictured in the report and to Jolee Pearson for her supervision of the laboratory processing of the materials iv recovered from the project area. Thanks are also extended to Ralph Wilbanks, underwater archeologist with the Institute, who interrupted a busy schedule to conduct an underwater search of the area around Silver Bluff. Darby Erd, illustrator for the Institute, and Gordon Brown, Insti­ tute photographer, provided the excellent maps and photographs for the report. Thanks, also, to Charles Wentworth who assisted Gordon Brown with the photography. Finally, Ken Pinson edited and Susan Moore typed the final manuscript. v LIST OF FIGURES Page FIGURE 1; . ., . 4 FIGURE 2: Jones' 1873 map of prehistqxflio Indiqn mounds pepQXltedtobe 1;n pioinity of Silver Bluff. • 8 FIGURE 3·0 Reaent ·aeXl1:ql photogrCJph of LQwer Silver: Bluff area indiaqt1;ng the possible loaqtion Qf the ' preh1:stor:1;a mounds •.• • ! • • • • • •••• . ., 9 FIGURE 4: 1787 plat c;;f lqnd grant to Kennedy 0 'Brien qt Silver: Bluff. • • • ••• • • ••..•. 11 FIGURE 5; Bloaker's J819 aomp1:lation map of previous land gr:qnts in the Silver: Bluff q;fIea; • •.••.• •• 12 FIGURE 6: Copy plat of ar:ea gr:antedto Thomas Newmqn near 8ilver: Bluff. .••.•. • • • •••.• • . •• 14 FIGURE 7: Initial sampHngpnority areas within the Silver Bluff proJeat are)a •....•.•••. • •• .• 32 FIGURE 8: Map showing looation of sampling units within p'1'i'ority areas 1~ 2~ and 4,.. ••••..••• 33 FIGURE 9: Photograph showing various e)arthenwaXle and pOY'ae~ lain aeramia fragments from SilveY' Bluff plantation 46 FIGURE 10: Photograph showing various stoneware aer:amia frag­ ments from Silver Bluff plantation ..•... •. 47 FIGURE 11: Photograph showing various wr:ought nails from the aolleation units at Silver Bluff plantation 58 FIGURE 12: Photograph showing various misaellaneous ar:tifaots from Silver Bluff plantation ..•...... .. 61 FIGURE 13: SY~P showing the distribution of aboriginal arti­ faats with a supe)rimposed outline of the primary historia pe)riod oaaupation areas .....•. •. 69 FIrl-URE 14: SY~P showing the dist'1'ibution of historia per:iod aeramias at 8'1 lVe)r Bluff plantation .•.•• •. 70 FI{J(JRE 15: SY~P showing the distr:ibution of aY'ahiteatur:al artifaats within the) SilveY' Bluff projeat area .• 71 FIGURE 16: SYkMP showing the distribution of briak weights wi thin the 8ilVe)r Bluff pY'odeat area ..•.• •• 72 vi LIST OF TABLES Page TABLE 1: Intensive supface co l lection summary •... 37 TABLE 2: Supface treatments on ceramics from Silver Bluff plantation .•........... 40 TABLE 3: Cross-tabulation of rim and lip treatments from the ceramics from Silver Bluff
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