Phase II Excavations:

 

Phase II excavations took place from May to July 2006. Between 8 and 26 May, I directed 15 graduate and undergraduate students as part of the University of South Carolina, Department of Anthropology’s Field School in Archaeology (ANTH 322). With the aid of volunteers, I completed Phase II fieldwork on 28 July. The primary objective of Phase II was to excavate two sampling strata: the west side of the yard and the side yard area between the structures at 1403 Richland and 1904 Marion Streets (Figure 1). Five 5 x 5 foot units and one 2.5 x 2.5 foot unit were excavated, as well as two shovel test pits.

Since the landscaping activities within the west yard area were completed several months prior to the start of Phase II, areas open to excavation were limited to untouched spaces, essentially a narrow strip approximately five-feet wide running north/south down the center of the yard. As a result, random sampling was abandoned in favor of judgmental placement of excavation units. Excavation units were directed primarily by the 1904 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Columbia. A 5 x 5 foot excavation unit was opened to explore the possible structural remains of a small-scale commercial building located directly on the northeast corner of Richland and Marion Streets at 1401 Richland Street (unit 12, Figure 1). Unit 11 initially started as a shovel test pit to explore the southeast corner of the structure. Upon encountering in situ brick foundation remains, the 1 x 1 foot STP was expanded into a 2.5 x 2.5 foot excavation unit. Since the STP had been excavated according to natural strata, conversion to an excavation unit was straightforward, with no loss of artifactual or contextual data. Additionally, four excavation units were placed within the rear-side yard, generating a twenty-percent sample of the area (units 14-17). In addition to numerous intact deposits, structural foundations, and a broad array of material items, these excavations also revealed evidence of severe stratigraphic disturbance. It appears that during renovations of 1403 Richland Street in 1974 a large semi-circular trench was dug around the rear of the house extending nearly ten-feet from the structure. While this information helped formulate the research design for Phase III excavations in terms of sampling strata, the result is a complete loss of archaeological integrity in this part of the yard.

 

-Jakob D. Crockett