History Detectives

PBS television series investigates SCIAA findings.

What began with a routine dive in the Savannah River culminated with a visit from the History Detectives, investigators who explore american historical mysteries through a combination of modern-day forensics and old-fashioned leg work.

Backstory:

The story begins 13 years ago when Daryl Boyd, a hobby diver in the South Carolina Sport Diver Archaeology Managment Program, found an object while diving in the Savannah River. It was found in 20 feet of water near the South Carolina bank in the vicinity of the old town of Hamburg.

An inspection of the object positively identified it as a "cartridge box plate" from the 71st Scottish Highlanders Regiment, a Revolutionary War regiment stationed in the Augusta, Georgia area for only a few weeks in the beginning of 1779. As less than two dozen of these plates have shown up through the years in the United States, this rare find near the South Carolina bank of the river presented a mystery as American forces had occupied that area in 1779.

When news of this discovery reached Lincoln Farr earlier this year, Associate Producer of Lion Television's History Detectives, he contacted Dr. Christopher Amer, State Underwater Archaeologist, and Dr. Jonathan Leader, State Archaeologist and nationally recognized conservator with an impressive background in historic metallurgy and metals conservation. Mr. Farr was quite interested in learning more about the 71st, the river in which the medallion was found, its metallurgical content, preservation environment and conservation options of the artifact itself. Such a study would make for a perfect spotlight in an episode of the History Detectives.

By mid-March, plans were underway for the History Detectives film crew to visit the USC Columbia campus to film segments with both Jon Leader and Chris Amer in a laboratory of the Earth Sciences Building.

Filming:

On the morning of March 27th Jon and Chris were interviewed by History Detective Elyse Luray, who is well known for her work with the Antiques Roadshow and with Christy's Auction House. She is an excellent appraiser with a real interest in history and a wonderful sense of humor. She asked questions about the manufacture and metallic make-up of the embossed buckle, its interaction with the environment, why it was in such good condition, how it would have come to be found in the river, and ultimately, whether or not it was genuine. With cameras rolling they used a stereoscopic microscope and TV monitor to explore the surface of the artifact in depth.

With an analysis given and her questions answered, the History Detective and film crew returned to Lion TV's studios in New York to assemble the episode. So how did the badge end up in the river? Is it an authentic Revolutionary War artifact? Watch the episode when it airs on July 17th on PBS. A brief summary can be found here.

About SCIAA: The South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA) was established in 1963 as a University of South Carolina research institute and a State cultural resource management agency. It serves as the main State agency concerned with South Carolina's Prehistoric and Historic Archaeology, and its discovery, study, revelation, and official safekeeping at a curatorial facility.

About History Detectives: History Detectives is devoted to exploring the complexities of historical mysteries and searching out the facts, myths and conundrums that connect local folklore, family legends and interesting objects. Traditional investigative techniques, modern technologies, and plenty of legwork are the tools the History Detectives team of experts uses to give new - and sometimes shocking - insights into our national history