Phase I and Phase II Archaeological Investigations of Site 38SU62, Shaw Air Force Base, Sumter County, South Carolina

Phase I and Phase II Archaeological Investigations of one historic site (38SU62) were performed at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter County, South Carolina. The work was accomplished by New South Associates, Inc, subcontractor for Geo-Marine Inc., for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, and the U.S. Air Force, Shaw Air Force Base (AFB). Initially site 38SU62 was believed to represent an earlier occupation in the area. Artifacts recovered from surface collection during the previous work included decorated ceramics and olive green container glass, dating from the 1830s to the 1860s, as well as two prehistoric chert flakes. Artifacts recovered during Phase I/II testing and historical research indicate that site 38SU62 is an early twentieth-century historic scatter associated with a small farm owned and operated by Mathew Wiley. Historical documentation provides that Wiley is of African–American descent and owned the land between 1945 and 1974. Artifacts recovered from a small portion along the eastern boundary of the site are likely associated with an earlier occupation in the area. However, no intact midden was encountered in this area and an erosional gully passes through the area. It is likely that a majority of the nineteenth-century site was impacted by past construction of residential housing and the Wiley occupation. A large portion of the artifact assemblage is related to Wiley’s occupation. A possible posthole was recorded; however, no intact archaeological deposits or subsurface structures were encountered and evidence of mechanical ground disturbance was present. No prehistoric artifacts were encountered during initial subsurface testing and therefore, this component was not investigated during Phase II testing.

Although few sites related to African-American farm owners in the region have been studied, site 38SU62 lacks archaeological integrity and is recommended as not eligible for the National Register of Historical Places and no further work is needed.