Phase II Archaeological Testing of Eight Sites at the Poinsett Electronic Combat Range, Shaw Air Force Base, Sumter County South Carolina

This Phase II archaeological study dealt with eight sites (38SU155, 38SU192, 38SU199, 38SU233, 38SU290, 38SU292, 38SU293, and 38SU294) at the Poinsett Electronic Combat Range (PECR) of Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter County, South Carolina. The sites include one historic dwelling (38SU155) and seven prehistoric camps located in the vicinity of Big Bay. Phase II investigations at each site included systematic shovel testing followed by test unit excavations to delineate site dimensions and artifact distributions, identify features and site stratigraphy, and assess the content and integrity of each site. As a result of these Phase II investigations, recommendations were made concerning each site’s National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility.

Three of the prehistoric sites (38SU290, 38SU292, and 38SU294) and the historic site (38SU155) are recommended eligible for the NRHP. The prehistoric sites each contain evidence of multiple prehistoric occupations on ridges around or within Big Bay. They possess good integrity, possible stratified deposits and horizontally discrete loci or activity areas. Each contains data that would be important in delineating local/regional prehistoric cultural sequences, reconstructing prehistoric site organization and function, and possibly addressing issues of prehistoric subsistence.

Site 38SU155 is an early twentieth-century African-American owned farm. The site contains structural remains and discrete artifact deposits suggestive of different activity areas. It possesses good integrity and has a potential to provide new information on the life ways and material culture of this class of people, who made up only a small portion of the region’s post-Civil War population. The significance of this site is enhanced because few similar sites in the region have been studied.

The four sites recommended for eligibility to the NRHP should be preserved in place unless any undertakings at the PECR would alter their qualities of significance. Should any activities be scheduled that would unavoidably disturb these resources, than data recovery at any affected sites is recommended to mitigate the potential harm.

The other four sites in this study (38SU192, 38SU199, 38SU233, and 38SU293) are recommended not eligible for the NRHP. These sites, each a sparse prehistoric artifact scatter, are disturbed and/or have a low potential to yield significant archaeological data. Therefore, no further preservation work is recommended for them.