Archaeological Investigation of Schieveling Plantation (38CH691)

"Archaeological data recovery investigations at 38CH691, an archaeological site eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), exposed the remnants of the primary settlement of the colonial-antebellum Schieveling Plantation, three late eighteenth-early nineteenth century slave residences in outlying portions of the site, and a buried occupation horizon associated with the Middle to Late Woodland occupation of the site. In total, these investigations encompassed 1,528.65 m2 or 28.7 percent of the surface of the significant portions of the site. Portions of the former residential compound, the avenue of oaks leading from Ashley River Road (SC Route 61) to the former compound, and a former dike are preserved within the modern residential subdivision that contains 38CH691. These investigations and the preservation of the noted portions of the site mitigate the effects of the development of the Schieveling Plantation residential subdivision on 38CH691 and the Ashley River NRHP District, of which 38CH691 is a contributing element.
These excavations exposed the remnants of a large walled compound that served as the primary residential settlement for Schieveling Plantation from the late seventeenth through the early nineteenth centuries. Interestingly, most of the recovered artifacts come from the initial construction and occupation of the plantation, by the Butler family (pre-1700-circa 1740). Ceramics and other artifacts recovered from this compound indicate the function of areas within it, and the relative wealth and status of the Butler family. Information concerning the Izard family, the 1780s-1820s owners of Schieveling Plantation, within this compound is scant.
Excavation and analysis of the slave residences indicates that the relative wealth reflected in the artifacts of these bondsmen, owned and managed by the Izard family, was much higher than that enjoyed by their contemporaries on neighboring plantations.
Excavation of the Pre-Contact occupation horizon in the northeast portion of the site recovered an extensive collection of Middle and Late Woodland ceramics. Comparisons of the distributions and production/use attributes of these ceramics between the identified types and with other collections from the region indicate that the primary occupation occurred during the Late Woodland period, with significant numbers of Santee Simple Stamped, McClellanville Cord Marked, and Deptford Cord Marked pottery occurring in association. Radiocarbon dates for the occupation horizon and other Late Woodland features in this portion of the site indicate a broad temporal range similar to ranges noted by other researchers in region."