The Grand Strand Frontier: Native American Occupation at the Fairway Site (38HR258), Horry County, South Carolina

Site 38HR258 is a prehistoric site located on the east side of a small interior wetland on Little River Neck. A preliminary assessment of site components indicated that (Ceramic) Late Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian/Proto historic components were present. The most intensive component at 38HR258 is the Middle Woodland occupation, and research questions focused primarily on this component.
Field investigations employed a series of methods meant to successively refine areas of particular interest and were oriented to retrieve data specific to the research questions discussed above. Specific tasks included site mapping, the excavation of a grid of 50 by 50 cm ( 19.7 by 19.7 in) units across the site core area, the excavation of a series of 2 by 2 m units, machine scraping of selected areas, and feature excavations.
The Fairway site provides a good illustration of life on Little River Neck during prehistory. Habitation at the site began in the Middle Archaic subperiod, when small groups were still mobile. The Late Archaic evidence from the site is relatively scarce, suggesting more ephemeral settlement of the area during this time. The Woodland period saw a dramatic increase in the intensity of
occupation at the site. Settlement at the Tidewater site during this time may even have been permanent. The Woodland peoples practiced an adaptive strategy, utilizing all environmental zones in the vicinity. This flexibility would have allowed for long term settlement without population pressure severely limiting available resources. During their stay at the Fairway site, the Woodland
people built structures (as evidenced by numerous postmolds), established site patterns (definable activity and disposal), and went about their daily life. During the Mississippian period, populations at the Fairway site were reduced as they increased at more inland sites. Mississippian cultures may have moved further inland in search of adequate agricultural land. Overall, the Little River Neck
provided a rich and varied environment that was amenable to human habitation for over 5,000 years, and continues to be today.