Archaeological Investigations at Yourhaney Plantation (38GE18)

150Forty liters of flotation samples were collected from four circa 1800 features (Table 14). Thesefeatures dated to the late 18 th and early19 th centuries. The macroplant assemblage from thesefeatures consisted of 16.25 grams of wood charcoal (0.41 gm/L), 1 maize cupule, 2 commonbean seeds, 2 probable wheat grains, 15 hickory shell fragments, 2 indeterminate hickory/walnutshell fragments, 4 acorn shell fragments, and six other seeds (2 bayberry, 2 bedstraw, 4unidentifiable). The 75 percent ubiquity of hickory/walnut and 50 percent ubiquity of acornshighlighted the continued importance of mast gathering to the Yauhannah Bluff inhabitants. Theidentification of three field crops (maize, beans, wheat) indicates that agricultural fields werepresent in the site vicinity.Twenty liters of flotation samples were collected from two 19 th -century features (Table 13). One19 th -century hearth dated to the first half of the century. An indeterminate pit dated to the lastquarter of the 19 th century. The macroplant assemblage from these features consisted of 31.84grams of wood charcoal (1.13 gm/L in the hearth and 1.15 gm/L in the pit), 2 fragments of blackwalnut shell, and 6 indeterminate hickory/walnut shell fragments. The recovery of mast indicatesthe continued importance of nut crops throughout the historic occupation of Yauhannah Bluff.Fifty liters of flotation samples were collected from five indeterminate 18 th /19 th -century features(Table 14). These features included three postholes, a builder’s trench, and a clay extraction pit.The macroplant assemblage from these features consisted of 34.11 grams of wood charcoal (0.68gm/L), 9 maize cupules, 1 maize kernel, 1 hickory shell fragment, 7 indeterminate hickory/walnutshell fragments, and eight other seeds (2 bedstraw, 1 composite, 1 dock, 1 peach, 1 spurge, 2unidentifiable). The 60 percent ubiquity of hickory/walnut shell and maize lends further support toour contention that mast was an important food and points to the presence of fields in the locality.Assemblage CompositionThis section presents a discussion of the condiments, domesticated vegetables, nutshell fragments,fruits, and herbaceous plants recovered from the Historic Period Yauhannah Bluff site features. Theidentified seed taxa are broken into six broad categories based on their presumed economicimportance. These are condiments, fruits, vegetables, nut-bearing shade trees, edible herbaceousplants, and herbaceous weeds and grasses. Three plant categories (fruits, vegetables, nuts)represent definite economically important plants. As has already been discussed, the condimentsand edible herbs may represent either remnants of food remains or accidentally carbonizednaturally deposited seed rain. The herbaceous weeds and grasses probably represent naturallydeposited yard weeds. The numbers, distribution, uses, and natural environments of each planttaxon are discussed in this section.CondimentsTwo possible condiments, bayberry and sage, were identified in the 18 th century macroplantassemblage (Table 16). These spices were popular seasonings in the 1700s, but both taxa arealso common wild plants in the South Carolina low country. Both taxa were also used asmedicines, and wax was commonly extracted from bayberry (also know as waxmyrtle) berries tomake candles. These plants, if they do not document garden and yard plantings, indicate naturallyoccurring plants in the site vicinity that were available for the 18 th century resident’s use.