By
Lynn Harris
Not all our work involves diving. In
recent months our SCIAA Underwater Archaeology Division [Maritime Research Divsion] staff based
in Charleston have recorded a
number of interesting artifacts
discovered on the banks of swiftly flowing tidal rivers, on palm-canopied island
beaches, and pulled up by
dredges from the muddy waters of
Charleston harbor. A canoe, an irrigation ditch, a dock, scattered remnants of
a shipwreck, and a Civil War cannon
were reported to SCIAA within the first few months of 2000. Each
represents an important component
of our local maritime history.
SC Department of Natural Resources staff member Mike Mckenzie
showed us an irrigation ditch or
trunk that had become exposed on
the beach of Caper's Island. Initially, they thought it might be a dugout
canoe. Historically this portion of
the land was close to a former dam
the only water source on the
island. Further research is still being conducted to find out more details
about the island and its inhabitants. Closer
inspection of the
artifact, with the help of water-control
structure specialist Billy Judd from Johns Island, revealed that it was a
ditch. It operated like a wooden pipeline with a one-way valve in the form of a
bulkhead that was manually raised and lowered into a carved slot to control the
overflow of water from the dam.
Mike Moore, a sailor who frequents the Hobcaw Creek, reported a section of a
dock or wharf eroding out of the bank. One of the property owners on the creek
told us that Mike is well-known in this suburban waterway of the Mt. Pleasant
area for his many adventurous escapades assisting boaters and boats in
distress. He is also familiar with this section of the creek, which runs
between two historic shipyards. Linn's Shipyard was owned by David Linn in the
1700s and lies on the north bank. Pritchard's Shipyard is located on the south
bank. During the colonial era, it was owned by several well known shipwrights
who immigrated from Scotland, such as John Rose, James Stuart, William Begbie,
and Daniel Manson. In 1778, Paul Pritchard bought the
shipyard. The wharf we inspected with
Mike was situated in proximity to Linn's shipyard and was a critical construct
used to load and launch boats. Only a small section of the wharf structure was
visible, consisting of upright posts attached to planking. Nearby, several
large piles of ships ballast lay scattered along the
riverbanks.
Rick Kanaski, regional archaeologist for US Fish and Wildlife Service, reported
a dugout canoe in the Combahee River of the ACE Basin Coastal Refuge. The wood
has been identified as cypress by wood specialist Lee Newsome at Illinois
University, and the interior surface appears to have been hollowed out with an
adze. Unfortunately, the ends of the canoe are broken off. It is likely to be
an early historic period canoe but it is impossible to definitively determine
whether it was built by the remaining Native Americans, African slaves, or
European settlers without radiocarbon dating (only if there is evidence of
burning) or a specific historical reference to a boat with a name (this was
often the case with plantation craft). We do know the area associated with
extensive rice cultivation during the 1800s and the canoe may have been a rice
paddy watercraft.
Ironwork artist and beachcomber Nick Hentosh, reported several ship timbers
washing up on Folly Beach. He has found an increasing number since Hurricane
Floyd at the end of 1999. Frames and planks with copper sheathing were
scattered the length of Folly Island. Interestingly, the sheathing tacks had
lead washers. The frames were of similar dimensions and had a combination of
wooden treenails and iron spikes as fastenings for the planking. Some had iron
stains on the outer surfaces. Nick and Skunk, the dog, (a border collie) helped
us clean the layer of sand off the timbers and take field notes. Copper
sheathing was only popularly used by the 1800s. We suspect that these might be
Civil War vessels that went down in the area of Folly Beach. These include the
blockade runner Ruby, and
Confederate iron-clads Palmetto State, Chicora, and Charleston. Between 1871 and 1876, a
contract was awarded by the Corps of Engineers to Benjamin Maillefert to remove
or partially remove 14 wrecks from the shipping channels and harbor. It is also
possible that the timbers are the salvage debris from the Maillefert
operation.
Bob Chapelle of the Charleston office of the US Army Corps of Engineers reported
that dredging operations in harbor yielded a very large cannon and section of a
shipwreck. An inspection trip to the dredging barge allowed us to have a
closer look at the cannon which has been
tentatively identified as most likely
being a Civil War period
US 32-pound smooth-bore that had been converted by the Confederates to a rifled
and banded 6.4 inch cannon. The shipwreck section
consisted of a propeller
embedded in wood from
the ship's hull, and still covered in fragments
of metal sheathing.
The two artifacts
have been redeposited in the water in a known location due to concerns about the
cannon still being full of gunpowder while decisions are made regarding the
final deposition.
Many thanks to those who reported these sites. Our small staff and limited
resources make your assistance an especially important part of archaeological
site management in the state. When artifacts like this are reported many basic
questions arise: What is it? Who built it and how? When was it made and
used? Where was it made and used? Why was it used and why is it here?
Historical research, drawings, and photographs are all part of the investigative
procedure and quest to answer these questions. By adding one piece of
information at a time we hope to contribute to the overall body of knowledge of
these artifacts and their place in South Carolina's maritime
heritage.
