ASSC Charleston Newsletter- Winter/Spring 2011

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

CHARLESTON CHAPTER

NEWSLETTER From the editor...

Hi everyone, 2011 is bringing a few changes to our chapter...

First of all, it is election time! According to our chapter constitution, our officers serve one term and new officers are elected at the beginning of each calendar year. The floor is open for nominations. Please send in your nominations to assccharleston.newsletter@gmail.com.

Deadline for nominations is March 31st 2011, 11:59 EST. We will only accept nominations from current members. You can meet the slate of officers our current officers are nominating on page 6. If we do not receive any other nominations this slate will be automatically elected.

This year we will collect the votes electronically. After all the nominations are collected, we will send all current members an invitation to vote on surveymonkey.com. If you have not paid your dues by March 31st you will not receive an invitation to vote.

Once you receive an invitation from surveymonkey.com, you must click on that link to go to the website and vote. Survey Monkey will count your vote and you will not be able to repeat or withdraw your vote. Members who signed up as a family will get one vote. We will use the email addresses you provided with your membership forms (if you wish to use another email address, please let us know by March 31st).

The second big change is in how we collect membership dues. As you all know, our chapter is a local subsidiary of ASSC and our members are expected to become state members as well. This is how our chapter is financially linked to the state organization. Up until now, we asked our members to take the extra step to hunt down the state membership form and write a separate check to ASSC’s central organization. To make everything easier for you (and all treasurers involved!), we will collect both dues in one check and take care of the money transfer internally. If you have already paid your dues for 2011, you can go to the ASSC website and become a state member (They now have an online payment option). All other members (both new members and those who wish to renew membership) will use the new membership form on page 6.

Please note that this is not an increase in dues. Our chapter membership dues remain the same.

Best,

Cicek Beeby Newsletter Editor

WINTER/SPRING 2011

Upcoming Events: 3/24/2011 Lecture: The Stoneware Pottery Communities of Edgefield 4/16/2011 Chapter Volunteer Dig at Stono Plantation DETAILS ON PAGES 3-4.

If you haven’t paid your dues for 2011, please use the new membership form on page 6.

WINTER/SPRING 2011

Page 2

ASSC FALL FIELD DAY

CHARLESTON CHAPTER CHRISTMAS PARTY

Ron Anthony welcomed us to his lovely home for our Christmas party this year. Rumor has it, some revelers danced the night away (but we don’t have any photographic evidence).

PAST EVENTS

This year’s Fall Field Day was held at Charles Towne Landing on October 10, 2010. Over 600 visitors attended the festivities!

WINTER/SPRING 2011

Page 3

Founders Hall Archaeology Lecture Series THE STONEWARE POTTERY COMMUNITIES OF EDGEFIELD: ARCHAEOLOGICAL, ELEMENTAL, AND LIDAR INVESTIGATIONS Presenters: Christopher Fennell and George Calfas, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

When: March 24, 2011, Thursday, 6:30 pm.

Where: Founders Hall, Charles Towne Landing.

American Indian Expo Observe an Indian dwelling and learn some of the history of Indians in South Carolina.

Come see the animals in their natural habitat. Children can learn to dance, make a necklace, dig for artifacts, and have their faces painted. The event schedule includes drums, intertribal dances, and storytelling. For more info, visit www.americanindianexpo.org.

When: March 26, 2011, Saturday.

Where: Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site.

Admission: $7.50/adult; $3.75/S.C. Senior; $3.50/youth age 6-15; Free for children 5 and younger. For admission info, call Charles Towne Landing SHS at (843) 852-4200.

Aia Lecture Series THE TEKTAS BURNU SHIPWRECK: SHEDDING NEW LIGHT ON CLASSICAL IONIA Presenters: Deborah Carlson, Texas A&M Univesity.

For three summers between 1999 and 2001, underwater excavations off the Aegean coast of Turkey at TektaĹ&#x; Burnu revealed the remains of a small Greek merchant ship that sank between 440 and 425 B.C. or shortly thereafter. The vessel was carrying a primary cargo of wine and pine tar contained in more than 200 transport amphoras and smaller quantities of East Greek pottery. As the only Classical shipwreck ever to be fully excavated in Aegean waters, the TektaĹ&#x; Burnu shipwreck promises to shed light on the local trade networks of the time.

When: April 7, 2011, Thursday, 7:30 pm.

Where: 309 Simons Center for the Arts, College of Charleston.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The first innovation and development of alkaline-glazed stoneware pottery in America occurred in Edgefield, South Carolina in the early 1800s. These potteries employed enslaved and free African-American laborers, and the stoneware forms also show evidence of likely African cultural influence on stylistic designs. The presenters will outline the latest research done in this field as well as the objectives for their upcoming field school.

WINTER/SPRING 2011

April 16th, 2011

Page 4

by Ron Anthony

Early occupants of Stono Plantation, the northernmost of the Sanctuary’s plantations, focused on the raising of provision crops and livestock in addition to indigo and fishing. These provisions were sold extensively in Charleston through out the 18th and 19th centuries. Thus, Stono Plantation was somewhat atypical when compared to other more visible and known Lowcountry Rice Plantations. The different economic foci at Stono Plantation, relative to other Lowcountry plantations, should be reflected in the archaeological record.

Extensive archaeological investigation of Stono Plantation began in 1990 by The Charleston Museum. As is often the case, this investigation began with a controlled systematic surface collection of ca. 11 acres of formally cultivated fields. Based on the information gleaned from the systematic surface collection, extensive testing began in May of 1991 which discovered the late 18th century residence of Thomas Rivers, one of Stono Plantations owners. Subsequent seasons at Stono were characterized by block excavations which were carried out primarily by Museum archaeologists and College of Charleston archaeological field school students with their instructors. To date, three sizeable block excavations have been opened at Stono Plantation providing a mountain of data still being analyzed.

The latest excavation block (#3), began in 1999, is located in a wooded area about 400 feet southeast of Thomas Rivers’ residence. Efforts here indicate that this area quite likely is the locus of Stono Plantation’s 18th century slave settlement. So far, two structures, and likely several more, have been located, unquestionably.

One of these two, Structure #1, was the subject of a Master’s Thesis by Katie Epps through USC. The second structure, still not fully

UPCOMING EVENTS

Besides owning and managing two historic houses in downtown Charleston, The Charleston Museum owns and manages a wildlife refuge (about 580 acres) called the Dill Sanctuary on James Island, immediately south of the James Island County Park. The sanctuary contains, at least, 16 prehistoric and historic period archaeological sites – one of which is Stono Plantation (38CH851). Stono Plantation is one of three plantation sites located on the property which date from the late 17th through 20th centuries.

WINTER/SPRING 2011

Currently, Charleston Museum archaeologists plan to fully delineate/expose Structure #2 this spring and summer. Given this goal, Museum archaeologists would be pleased to host an excavation day for Charleston Chapter ASSC members to aid in the investigation of this significant cultural property.

April 16th, 2011

UPCOMING EVENTS

delineated, is located immediately west of Structure #1. Based on depositional positioning, the second structure dates to no later than the mid 18th century and thus may prove to be one of the oldest plantation slave residences on James Island.

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WE WILL ANNOUNCE THE MEETING TIME AND LOCATION VIA EMAIL. This event will be for Charleston Chapter members only.

Obituary Recently, on December 17, 2010, we lost Laurence “Larry” Cadigan Jr. a long time member and supporter of The Charleston Museum and former Treasurer of the Charleston Chapter of the ASSC. Larry, born in 1933, lived most of his life in New York City.

He had a successful and lucrative career with New York Telephone. Never married and without children, Larry decided to retire in his late 50s to the Charleston, SC area, a locale he once visited while on an Atlantic cruise.

One of Larry’s passions was travelling, particularly via cruise ships. He travelled via ship world wide since, at least, the late 1960s. Another of his passions was archaeology. He enjoyed tremendously finding “neat old things”. Larry was the consummate archaeological volunteer. Since the late 1980s when he moved to James Island, SC, he volunteered on many a project with both public and private agencies. For example, Larry volunteered for SCIAA, SCPRT, and for years at The Charleston Museum. He became a “regular” at The Charleston Museum archaeology lab, routinely volunteering Tuesday through Friday (Monday at Ronald MacDonald House) from 9 a.m. to noon (1989 to 2003).

When the Museum had field projects, including their association through the years with the College of Charleston’s archaeological field school, Larry was normally there, often the earliest to arrive on site and certainly working harder than most. His years of archaeological volunteer service enabled Larry to become quite knowledgeable concerning 18th and 19th century material culture as well as excavation methods/techniques. Many an archaeological field student benefited from his acquired knowledge. Larry, a conservative man, appreciative of the routine, possessed his own brand of humor and individuality. We, his friends and colleagues will miss him greatly and speak of him fondly.

Ron Anthony The Charleston Museum

WINTER/SPRING 2011

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CHAPTER BUSINESS Elections We would like to nominate the following members for the 2011 board:

Membership ASSC CHARLESTON CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP FORM

Cicek Beeby President

2011 ______________________________________ NAME/NAMES

Dee Dee Joyce Vice President

______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ADDRESS

______________________________________ TELEPHONE NUMBER

______________________________________

Ron Anthony Treasurer Directors:

Barbra Aldrich Jane Aldrich David Jones Bob Welch We hope you will participate in our chapter’s elections.

Send your nominations for any of the above positions to assccharleston.newsletter@gmail.com by March 31st and stay tuned for online voting.

EMAIL MEMBERSHIP TYPE: Please check one

Individial ($30) Student ($20) Family ($40) Would you like to receive newsletters via email?

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Please cut and send to Ron Anthony 360 Meeting St. Charleston, SC 29403 ranthony@charlestonmuseum.org Make checks payable to ASSC Charleston Chapter. * ASSC Charleston Chapter is a local subsidiary of ASSC. Dues listed above include membership to the state organization.