Archaeological Investigations at Yourhaney Plantation (38GE18)

ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT YOURHANEY PLANTATION229IX. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONSNew South Associates performed data recovery excavations at a portion of 38GE18 at YauhannahBluff. The excavations were located in the area near the confluence of the Greet Pee Dee River andYauhannah Lake near the location of an old ferry landing. The focus on the excavations was thehistoric component located in this part of the site. Previous research by Bill Weeks and Jim Michieattempted to identify an early 18 th century Indian trading post thought to be in this location. Theywere unable to find definitive evidence of the trading post.New South’s excavations found evidence of historic occupation most intensively occupied betweenthe 1740s and about 1820. However, there was some evidence of an earlier beginning date ofoccupation based on the presence of a 1722 coin and a pipe stem dating from the late 17 th toearly 18 th century. Six buildings were identified at the site, which are summarized in Table 40.Table 40. Summary of Structures at 38GE18.Structure Function Size (ft) Orientation Construction Date1 Storehouse? 14 x 14 N1W early/mid 18 th c.2 Plantation House 23 x 32 N7E early/mid 18 th c.3 Slave House 8 x 10 N5E early/mid 18 th c.4 Outbuilding or Ferry Operator’s House 13 x 23 + 8 x 18 N6E late 18 th c.5 Shed 8 x 9? N5W early/mid 18 th c.6 Burnt Outbuilding 26 x ? N37E early 20 th c.The first structure consists of a possible storehouse (Structure 1) located near the ferry landing. Thebuilding measured 14 by 14 feet and contained an earthfast foundation. The Journal of theCommissioner of Indian Trade describes the storehouse at the 1716 trading post as measuring 10by 12 feet and being of log construction. If one assumes that Structure 1 is the 1716 storehouse,then one might also assume that the measurement of 10 by 12 feet was an estimate and that thelog building rested on earthfast piers. Regardless, there was no direct evidence that Structure 1was that building.It is believed that the storehouse (Structure 1), plantation house (Structure 2), slave house (Structure3), and shed (Structure 5) are at least partially contemporaneous. Working under the assumptionthat Structure 1 is the storehouse associated with 1716 trading post, one could conclude that thetrader had to live on site and that he would have had slaves to assist with activities associated withthe post itself as well as to help maintain at least some subsistence level agriculture and help withlivestock maintenance. Therefore, the presence of a residential complex is to be expected.Interestingly, the architectural design of the plantation house is quite similar to late 17 th centuryplantation houses found in the Chesapeake area. No similar houses belonging to plantationowners have yet to been found in South Carolina.