Clemson University TigerPrints All Theses Theses 5-2015 "A Posture of Defence": A Forensic Brick Analysis of Charleston's Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Walled Fortifications Jacqueline Don Clemson University Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses Part of the Historic Preservation and Conservation Commons Recommended Citation Don, Jacqueline, ""A Posture of Defence": A Forensic Brick Analysis of Charleston's Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Walled Fortifications" (2015). All Theses. 2139. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/2139 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]. “A POSTURE OF DEFENCE”: A FORENSIC BRICK ANALYSIS OF CHARLESTON’S SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURY WALLED FORTIFICATIONS 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 Jacqueline Don May 2015 Accepted by: Dr. Carter E. Hudgins, Committee Chair Katherine Pemberton Andrew Kohr Dr. Nic Butler ABSTRACT The fortification walls that once protected the bustling colonial port of Charles Town, South Carolina lie buried under a thriving, modern city. Archaeological excavations and archival research within the last decade have made significant progress in unearthing information previously lost to development and memory. These methods have experienced limitations, however, since access to the fortifications is obstructed by both historic and modern infrastructure. The study of the brick collected from the walled fortifications presents potential for new interpretations of development of Charleston’s colonial walls. Brick samples from the walled fortification were collected for testing, as were brick samples from local historic sites whose construction dates corresponded with time periods of the wall’s use. Brick samples were analyzed using X- ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, colorimetry, and water absorption to determine individual chemical and mineralogical compositions that could then be compared. The comparison of these sample sets identified broad patterns of sourcing and dates. The data clarifies where the bricks used to defend Charleston during the seventeenth and eighteenth century were being made and how their source changed in response to Charleston’s emergence as a world class city. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study could not have been realized without the advice and encouragement of many special persons to whom I would like to acknowledge and extend my sincerest gratitude. First and foremost, I would like to thank my thesis advisor and dig buddy, Dr. Carter Hudgins, whose guidance and advice were instrumental in developing and bringing this study to life. I would also like to thank my committee members Katherine Pemberton, Dr. Nic Butler, and Andrew Kohr for providing me with their expertise and the resources needed to complete this study. I would especially like to thank Dr. Stephanie Crette for allowing me to use all the equipment at Warren Lasch with no hesitation, spending time teaching me new skills, and helping me sort out all of my results. Also, sincere thanks to Dr. Denis Brosnan and the staff at the National Brick Reserach Center for graciously testing my samples on their own time and providing me with exemplary data. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to express my love and appreciation for my family and friends who have always been pillars of support and encouragement and who have always been genuinely interested in my sometimes unusual endeavors. I would especially like to thank my mother whose constant sense of humor not only puts a smile on my face but makes any situation seem less daunting. Your wisdom, courage, and excitement inspires me everyday. Finally, to Kevin, whose support, encouragement, patience, and understanding through this process has helped me complete this journey and look forward to the next. Thank you. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE ....................................................................................................................i ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..............................................................................................iii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................vi LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................viii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................1 Brief History ............................................................................................5 II. FORTIFICATIONS IN THE NEW WORLD: ...............................................8 A GLOBAL PHENOMENA III. COLONIAL FORTIFICATIONS OF CHARLESTON: ..............................17 A CENTURY OF DEFENSE Colonial Period ......................................................................................18 Twentieth Century ..................................................................................28 Twenty-First Century .............................................................................30 IV. SAMPLING EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ...................................................34 LOWCOUNTRY BRICK Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site .................................................35 Powder Magazine ...................................................................................40 Drayton Hall ...........................................................................................42 iv Table of Contents (Continued) Page IV. EIGHTEENTH CENTURY BRICKMAKING AND ..................................48 CHARACTERIZATION Colonial Brickmaking ............................................................................48 Brick Physical Characterization .............................................................52 Rise of Brickmaking in Charleston ........................................................54 Characterization of Charleston Brick Types ..........................................57 VI. METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………………61 Research .................................................................................................64 XRF ........................................................................................................65 XRD .......................................................................................................68 Water Absorption ...................................................................................70 Colorimetry ............................................................................................71 VII. FINDING AND ANALYSIS: EXAMINING PATTERNS ..........................73 Findings: Analytical and Physical Tests .................................................73 Analysis..................................................................................................84 Patterns: Charleston Walled Fortifications .............................................93 VIII. CONCLUSION ..........................................................................................101 Recommendations for Future Study ....................................................103 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................109 A: Documentation of Brick Samples .............................................................. 110 B: XRF Analysis .............................................................................................120 C: XRD Analysis ............................................................................................148 D: Physical Tests .............................................................................................171 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................175 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.1 Map of Charleston’s Walled City with Brick Sample Locations ...........................................................................................5 1.1 Fort Marion at St. Augustine Florida ...........................................................13 1.1 1671 Plat of Charles Town and the South Carolina Coast ...........................18 3.2 Edward Crisp 1711 plan of the enceinte or walled city ...............................21 3.3 The 1739 Ichnography of Charleston at High Water ...................................23 1.4 Notes on the Granville Bastion, 1925 ..........................................................29 1.5 Excavation Redan at South Adger’s Wharf, 2009 ......................................31 4.1 Colonial Dorchester Lot 52 Foundation Wall ..............................................38 1.2 Colonial Dorchester Powder Magazine .......................................................38 4.3 Colonial Dorchester Lot 7 Riverside Wall ...................................................39 4.4 1740 Town Plat of Dorchester .....................................................................39 4.5 1788 Ichnography with Old Powder Magazine ...........................................40 4.6 Old Powder Magazine, 1902 ........................................................................41