An Analysis of Landscapes of Surveillance on Rice Plantations in the Ace Basin, SC, 1800-1867 Sada Stewart Clemson University, [email protected]
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Clemson University TigerPrints All Theses Theses 5-2019 Plantations, Planning & Patterns: An Analysis of Landscapes of Surveillance on Rice Plantations in the Ace Basin, SC, 1800-1867 Sada Stewart Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses Recommended Citation Stewart, Sada, "Plantations, Planning & Patterns: An Analysis of Landscapes of Surveillance on Rice Plantations in the Ace Basin, SC, 1800-1867" (2019). All Theses. 3104. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/3104 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PLANTATIONS, PLANNING & PATTERNS: AN ANALYSIS OF LANDSCAPES OF SURVEILLANCE ON RICE PLANTATIONS IN THE ACE BASIN, SC, 1800-1867 A Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science Historic Preservation by Sada Stewart May 2019 Accepted by: Dr. Carter Hudgins, Committee Chair Dr. Barry Stiefel Amalia Leifeste Lauren Northup ABSTRACT This thesis explores patterns of the rice plantation landscape of the ACE River Basin in South Carolina during the period of 1800-1860 to assess how planters surveilled enslaved workers. The research consisted of a cartographic study of historic plats of nineteen rice plantations, a sample of the ninety-one plantations that covered the region during the height of rice production in South Carolina. For each of the plantations, the next level of analysis was viewshed and line of sight studies after 3D Sketch-Up models were created from each the plat. These studies yielded maps that support analysis of how planters arranged plantations to optimize surveillance, as planters imposed spatial configuration based on proximity and communication. In a system controlled by the few, the plantation owners, who wielded complete power over many, the enslaved, there was a sharp inequity in the number of enslaved Africans to the number of overseers on every rice plantation. How did this system remain viable from the standpoint of power and control? How did constant surveillance, or its threat, from the overseers over the enslaved workers manifest itself in configurations of the physical environment into a control mechanism? What are common patterns to layouts and configurations (of plantations) that are derived to allow white overseers to surveil enslaved workers in order to maintain control as a minority party on a rice plantation? Reconstructed viewsheds indicate that plantation layout had distinct layout patterns in terms of settlement proximity to plantation house, orientation of structures in the settlement and presence of clear lines of sight from the plantation house to the settlement. However, overall visibility potential by ii the planter was significantly lower than predicted. On average, rice planters could only see between 35% and 65% of the structures on their plantation from their houses. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The many hours of work poured into this thesis would not have been possible without the support of a veritable army. Dr. Carter Hudgins—thank you for your tireless eyes and weekly meetings that helped bring my mess of ideas into a paper with actual structure. Without your calm confidence in contrast to my panicked anxiety, I could not have written this thesis. Amalia Leifeste, Dr. Barry Stiefel and Lauren Northup—thank you for keeping me on track and allowing me to send you countless drafts that slowly started to make sense. This could not have taken shape without the guidance you all afforded me. The staff of Historic Charleston Foundation—you all played a role in igniting my interest in the ACE Basin, particularly the rice plantations. Thank you for showing me Jehossee Island and opening my eyes to the countless cultural resources sitting untouched in the former rice fields. My family—Thank you for letting me call, at all hours of the day and night to talk through my thoughts, conclusions and tangents, very few of which made sense. Your love and support helped me every day. My classmates, MSHP Class of 2019—thank you for making this process (almost) fun to go through, and for being an amazing support system. Preston and Griffey–thank you for everything, you are my heroes! iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE .................................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................. iv LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 II. METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................... 14 Data Summary ....................................................................................... 14 Data Collection ...................................................................................... 17 Data Analysis ......................................................................................... 19 Summary ................................................................................................ 26 III. MAPS AND HISTORY ............................................................................... 27 Airy Hall Plantation ............................................................................... 29 Barings Plantation .................................................................................. 31 Blandford Plantation .............................................................................. 32 Bonny Hall Plantation ............................................................................ 34 Cattell Island Plantation ......................................................................... 37 Butler’s Island Plantation ....................................................................... 38 Green Point Plantation ........................................................................... 40 Hermitage Plantation ............................................................................. 41 Hope Plantation ...................................................................................... 43 Jehossee Island Plantation...................................................................... 45 Lewisburg Plantation ............................................................................. 47 Newport Plantation ................................................................................ 48 Newton Plantation .................................................................................. 50 Oakland Plantation ................................................................................. 52 Poco Sabo Plantation ............................................................................. 53 v Table of Contents (Continued) Page Richfield Plantation ............................................................................... 55 Shrubbery Plantation .............................................................................. 56 Slann’s Island Plantation........................................................................ 57 Twickenham Plantation ......................................................................... 59 Summary……. ....................................................................................... 60 IV. SURVEILLANCE AND MANAGEMENT ................................................ 60 Historiography ....................................................................................... 60 Siting Dynamics ..................................................................................... 62 Antebellum Management ....................................................................... 64 Control Management ............................................................................. 66 Surveillance and Space .......................................................................... 68 Summary……. ....................................................................................... 69 V. ANALYSIS AND PATTERNS ................................................................... 71 Analysis…….......................................................................................... 71 Case Study Analysis .............................................................................. 75 Summary ................................................................................................ 81 VI. CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH ....................................... 82 Patterns……. .......................................................................................... 82 Conclusions ............................................................................................ 86 Orderliness over Surveillance ................................................................ 90 Landscape Theory .................................................................................. 91 Further Research .................................................................................... 93 Summary ...............................................................................................