Archaeological Investigations at Yourhaney Plantation (38GE18)

ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT YOURHANEY PLANTATION5except for timber” (Matthew 1992: 198). Although Waccamaw Neck and the lower portion of theGreat Pee Dee below Sandy Island contained vast rice fields, the Yauhannah Bluff area was notsuited for rice agriculture. Robert Mills (1972: 558) commented that, next to rice, cotton was themost raised staple in the district. Although cotton did well in the uplands, he noted that they werebetter suited for raising edible provisions and knew of instances where 300 bushels of sweetpotatoes were produced from one acre.The Great Pee Dee and other Georgetown District rivers tended to be busy with boat traffic. Millsnoted that Georgetown carried on considerable trade with Charleston in rice, cotton, staves, tar,pitch, and turpentine. Of interest to Mills was a method used to bring tar to market. Barrels weremade up into a kind of raft. “A large pine tree is completely hollowed out, in the manner of acanoe, the sides turned in, very narrow at the top . . . This kind of canoe the slightest forceoversets. On each side of this frail bark are placed two, three, o more tiers of tar barrels. Spars, orpoles, are then laid across the canoe, and the barrels, and the whole are secured by lashings,commonly made of vines, or hickory” (Mills 1972:562). An advertisement in the South CarolinaAmerican and General Gazette in 1778 stated that Richland Plantation on the Pee Dee about 10miles north of Georgetown, was “extremely pleasant and convenient as all boats from NorthCarolina, Upper Peedee and the Cheraws pass very near the house.” (in Johnson 1997: 99).FLORA AND FAUNAIn the waters of the district, Mills mentioned that shad and herring ran in the rivers during spring. Infresh water systems “trout, pike, bream, perch, sturgeon, rock-fish, terribin, soft shelled turtle, carp,silver-fish, &c” (Mills 1820: 564). The mud riverbed is not conducive to the survival of shellfish,although some freshwater mussels can be found in sandier areas. Although they could not begotten in the vicinity of 38GE18, rafts and boats could have brought up salt water fish and shellfish. Mills mentions “ drum, bass, sheep-head, mullet, cavalli, whiting, black-fish, and a variety ofothers; besides oysters, crabs, sea-turtles, shrimps, clams, muscles, &c.” (Mills 1972: 564). Today,there are approximately 24 species of fish and six species of anadromous fish. The more importantcommon species include catfish, largemouth bass, black shiner, and longnose gar. Anadromousspecies include shad, herring, striped bass, and sturgeon (Sandifer et al. 1980: 411). Reptilesinclude the river cooter, sliders, snapping turtle, and Florida cooters. Alligators are not uncommontoday and may have been more common prior to extensive human pressure (Sandifer et al. 1980:419). During his travels to the area in the 1840s, Edmund Ruffin hunted alligators on the SanteeRiver with his friend Dr. Palmer. He also noted their abundance in the Lower Pee Dee andmentioned that Indian Lake was “a great resort” for these animals (Matthew 1992: 199). IndianLake is located adjacent to Sandy Island just a few miles below Yauhannah Bluff.Carolina Bays exist in Georgetown County with the largest being Carvers Bay located about fivemiles west of Yauhannah Bluff. The closest named bay is Tupelo Bay located about three miles westof Yauhannah Bluff. These elliptical depressions occur in the Coastal Plain from Maryland to Floridaand there are several theories as to their origin including scars from a meteor shower as well as oldtidal eddies. They contain poorly drained soils or are standing in water and provide an excellenthabitat for amphibians and are known to harbor bobcats, bears, and osprey (Murphy 1995). Assuch, they were often the focus of prehistoric settlement, where inhabitants could take advantage ofthe resources the bays offered (see, for example, Big Bay in Sumter County; Adams 2006).