Data Recovery Investigations of 38BU791, Bonny Shore Slave Row, Spring Island, Beaufort County, South Carolina

Archaeological data recovery investigations were conducted at 38BU791 on 12-21 April1993 by archaeologists from Brockington and Associates, Inc. 38BU791 is located on the southern portion of Spring Island, Beaufort County, South Carolina. The work was conducted in compliance with Federal and State agencies regarding the impact to cultural resources as a result of development in the Coastal Zone of South Carolina. The proposed residential development of the Spring Island Company would have resulted in impact to site 38BU791. Mitigation of the potential adverse effects of this impact on 38BU791 was achieved through data recovery.
Previous testing of 38BU791 determined it to be the remains of a slave row located on the southern portion of Spring Island. A 4 by 4 m block was excavated in each of seven loci. Machine assisted stripping was also undertaken in each locus.
The excavations and archival research indicate that the slave row was probably occupied from circa 1810 to the start of the Civil War. The slave row was noteworthy for the relatively late manufacture and use of Colonoware, and for the survival of African religious markers. The foodways were unusual in the low frequency of wild foods; fish were significantly rare.