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5/25/2026-5/29/2026: Wrapping up on the Horseshoe!
5/25/2026-5/29/2026: Wrapping up on the Horseshoe!
Written by Savannah Baxter, Aden Hernandez, and Preston Correll
This week in field school, we continued our work on the Horseshoe. We began by having a certain part of the area mapped out, in front of the McKissick Museum, which was thought to be where an outbuilding associated with the original President’s house was, which stood between 1807 to1940 give or take. We have reason to believe there was a kitchen here because of the artifacts that we have found from our excavations, and that have been found previously in previous excavations in the same area.
Students over the last few field seasons (including this one) have discovered numerous amounts of animal bone with cut marks, ceramic, glass, nails (for which were used in construction for the building), slate (used for roofing), brick, mortar, whiteware (mainly used for eatery and dinnerware), terracotta, and charcoal (showing use of possible fires used to cook) which gives us enough information to conclude that our assumption of the kitchen being located here has left contextual evidence. We are conducting these excavations to help us gain a better understanding of what really went on in that area and to have more of an accurate representation of campus history. An integral part of our work is also shining a light on the enslaved people who either worked or lived there. We plan to lay a memorial in the ground to honor the enslaved people and help bring parts of their stories and history to light.
As we work on wrapping up the last week of field school, the types of artifacts that were mentioned earlier have helped us gain a better understanding of the people who were here before, and what they used in their everyday life. The whiteware that has been excavated alongside other types of ceramic has been impactful to our knowledge of the site. Looking at all aspects of each artifact reveals a more in depth story of how the piece was possibly made, used, and brought to the site.
The majority of the ceramic sherds that have been yielded from the McKissick are whiteware, which is a refined earthenware. These ceramics can be made either glazed or unglazed, and sometimes have a specific glaze which would then have the ceramic be referred to as pearlware. Many of the sherds that have any sort of decoration have hand paintings or transfer print in a blue or green color; which is most common. There have also been some sherds that have a specific style of molding along the rim that is referred to as shell edge molding. Some unique pieces that stood out were a sherd that had a leaf design molding on the rim, and a whiteware sherd that had a transfer print that listed the design and company name that mass produced the piece at the time. Besides just whiteware, porcelain and some other stoneware pieces have also been found.
Despite the weather not being very favorable to us during our final week working on campus, specifically during the first half, we have been able to continue working on the units. By using shovels and trowels, we gradually wore away at the unit’s dirt layers and screened then collected whatever contents it provided. Within this final week, one of the biggest discoveries we were able to make were pieces of what would later turn out after further research to be a dinner plate. Though we only had pieces of it, we were able to find some that depict parts of a palm tree and a light house, and on the bottom of the larger piece containing the lighthouse it says “Shapoo” which was the design, and “T & R - B” which would have been the manufacturer. We have also been able to possibly piece together the story of the building itself. While the theory building being an ice house turned kitchen holds water and explains the pieces of coal that have been found in numerous layers of dirt, there is also a possibility that coal could have been in the walls themselves to act as insulation. Alongside this, while cleaning up a section of one of our larger units that has a large section of concrete, possibly from when they were building the McKissick Museum, we discovered a shoe print. Though we thought about measuring it to see the shoe size, we ultimately decided against it due to the belief that the concrete would have warped the dimensions through drying and time wearing away at it. Alongside this obvious shoe print were several markings in the same concrete section that suggest that someone could have used the heel of their shoe to push in the concrete.
Our second to last day of the field school was USC’s Public Archaeology Day, and though we expected some people we were surprised by the large turnout. Though this day was mostly spent discussing the history of the site and what we found in the units, we were also able to answer questions about the project to the best of our abilities. Public engagement is integral to archaeology, as it helps us keep the public in the loop on what new information is being found and released as well as connect them with the area and the people of the past. Our last day of the field school as the day after our public day, and instead of digging or backfilling our units, we spent much of the day drawing profiles of the walls to show the different layers that would have been created over the years as well as map out the features (if any) that would have been in the unit. These features ranged from irrigation piping, a mortar wall, and a 1940s communication line. During our time in the field school, we were conducting these excavations to help us gain a better understanding of what really went on in this area of campus, and to have more of an accurate representation of campus history. An integral part of our work is helping to shine a light on the enslaved people who either worked or lived there. Though this will be the end of our field school, work will continue over the summer and we hope to uncover all four corners of the structure so by Spring 2027 we can erect a monument to show where the building would have stood. USC is helping to bring to light the history of slavery on campus , so hopefully in the future we will be able to figure out who would have possibly worked in the kitchen behind the president's house.
Interested in volunteering in our field or lab? Reach out to us at archaeology@mailbox.sc.edu!
5/18/2026-5/22/2026: Horseshoe Work Begins!
5/18/2026-5/22/2026: Horseshoe Work Begins!
Written by Liam Payne and Tyler Salley
In our second week of field school, we started working on the Horseshoe, continuing the work of past field schools in front of the McKissick Museum. These excavations are being done to investigate a small structure built behind the original president's house.
Instead of digging shovel tests like we did at Sesquicentennial State Park, this time we would be digging units. Units are 1 m x 1m holes that are dug much slower than shovel tests. Each unit will have multiple levels, either marked arbitrarily about every 20 cm or when a soil change/distinct feature is uncovered. The purpose of these units is to try and expose parts of the outbuilding behind the old president's house that is believed to have been a kitchen and housing for enslaved individuals on campus; that was later converted into an icehouse. Previous excavations have exposed what we believe are parts of the foundation of that outbuilding. We know approximately where the structure was thanks to things like historic Sanborn fire insurance maps as well as an 1872 bird's eye view map of Columbia. The hope is our 2 units on the Horseshoe, the more Northern one being labeled T4C, and the more southern one labeled T4E will catch the foundations of the wall of the structure.
Progress on our units was slow moving; we ran into many roots and a very compact layer of clay. However, we were able to push through and recover a number of interesting artifacts and features. Unit T4E had some old concrete spill with a nice impression of a foot that we believe is associated with construction of the McKissick dating between 1937-1940. We expanded the unit 1 meter west and discovered a mortar wall that we believe was the foundation for an outbuilding. In both units, we hit an odd soil change where the floor was almost all sand except for a dark line cutting through. We decided to only excavate the darker dirt and found that it was from a 1940s-era communication line found in previous excavations. We also collected an assortment of wire and cut nails. Along with man interesting historic ceramic fragments, some having interesting designs. It is important to note that although we were working in the upper layers of the unit, we were still finding older artifacts like cut nails, a common 19th century building material; this can be explained by reverse stratigraphy. A process whereby older soil layers are moved to the surface, in this case most likely due to construction in the area.
The history of enslavement on campus has historically been suppressed, and that is why this work is important. By excavating this structure, we can tell the stories of the people whose history was not included in the archives. The recovered artifacts can be available for public display, and there is a plan to put a monument outlining the boundary of the structure. Which will be helpful in educating the public about enslavement on the university’s campus and acknowledging their contributions to the formation and instrumental role in daily campus life.
Next week we will continue to excavate our units. In Unit T4E, we will need to be very careful when working in the unit due to how fragile the leftover concrete will be. We will also need to work around the large root in the unit as we level it down to the 1940s communication line. In T4C we will continue to level it out down to the communication line. In both, we have gotten to the point where we can't really use shovels anymore and are now using trowels to excavate. It will slow things down a little, but it will make it so we can more carefully work around the cement, mortar wall, and communication line.
Come stopy by the horseshoe to check out our progress!!
Interested in volunteering in our field or lab? Reach out to us at archaeology@mailbox.sc.edu!
5/11/2026-5/15/2026: Field school kickoff!
5/11/2026-5/15/2026: Field school kickoff!
Written by Ryan Gomez and Alex Cagle
Introduction
To start off the Summer 2026 field school season, USC’s Archaeology students began with a week of fieldwork out at Sesquicentennial State Park. As an introduction to field work as a whole, they were tasked with doing shovel testing out in the Park. The purpose of the testing was to get a better idea of possible Tenant Housing in the area that may have been indicated on historic maps of the park. The students learned how to do proper archaeological methods, such as the shovel testing itself, laying in coordinates to dig, as well as bagging artifacts and paperwork.
Landscape and Site Context
The bounds of what today is known as Sesquicentennial State Park not only serve the public as an urban oasis but, beneath the surface, offer a largely undisturbed insight into both the natural and cultural history of the region, and its progression dating back to the prehistoric era. Dr. Kelly Goldberg and her Archaeology Field School Summer 2026 students analyzed this layered history through the actual layers of the soil and the evidence of history buried within the stratigraphy. (Stratigraphy is the study of layers of soil and dirt to understand the past, and it uses the law of superposition, which says that in most cases, the oldest layers are at the bottom and the newest layers are on top.)
Indigenous Land Use & Evidence
Sesqui sits on land which is thought to have been used by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years, groups like the Congaree, Wateree, Catawba, and Cherokee, who were later displaced from the areas through colonial expansion and conflict. Archaeological evidence previously found on the grounds, such as tools and stone flakes, confirms this presence.
Plantation Ownership (Douglass Period)
The earliest confirmed presence of settlement of the land supported by a written record is by South Carolina planter James Douglass (1797-1878), who acquired the land at some point between 1825 and 1842. Through the labor of enslaved people, Douglass operated a farm that produced crops, dairy products, and timber, with mills powered by the creek. Records indicate Douglass enslaved at least 11 people in 1850 and 18 by 1860, who worked in agriculture and domestic roles.
Post-Emancipation Occupation (1872-1930)
Following emancipation at the end of the Civil War, many formerly enslaved people across the South remained near the land where they had lived and worked, continuing agricultural labor under new conditions of freedom and wage negotiation. While not directly documented, this pattern likely applied to Douglass’ plantation, which he is known to have retained until 1872, suggesting continued occupation by formerly enslaved people and their descendants for generations after emancipation. This interpretation is supported by historic maps showing lingering structural remains, early 20th-century aerial imagery, and burial evidence from an African American cemetery on or near the property, including 19th-century marked graves and additional unmarked burials that may predate them.
Field Goals & Methods
Summer 2026 Field School students sought to better understand this layered history, with particular attention to the post-emancipation period and the communities who lived and worked on the land between the end of the plantation era and the establishment of the park (1872–1930), supported by documentary and archival research. Building on this archival work, as well as previous archaeological investigations conducted by earlier field schools and other researchers, students were trained in and carried out standard archaeological survey methods, including pedestrian surveys and shovel test pits (STPs).
Pedestrian Survey
A pedestrian survey is a non-invasive method of archaeological survey where archaeologists walk across a landscape in evenly spaced intervals to visually inspect the ground surface for artifacts, features, and environmental indicators of past activity. It is conducted first because it helps identify areas of potential archaeological significance and guides where further investigation should be focused. Surface finds, visible features, and changes in soil or vegetation can all provide clues about what may lie beneath. The goal is to detect patterns or concentrations of material that may indicate buried archaeological deposits. Unlike excavation, it does not involve digging and relies entirely on careful observation and recording to inform later, more targeted methods such as shovel test pits or excavation units.
Field school students conducted multiple pedestrian surveys within the site, including systematic coverage of the associated cemetery to document visible grave markers, assess burial patterns for contextual understanding, and identify potential unmarked graves or other surface anomalies. Additional surveys across the broader site recorded several low, mound-like soil features that may represent areas of past disturbance or activity and warrant further investigation, like shovel test pits or larger excavation units.
Shovel Test Pits (STPs) & Artifacts
A shovel test pit is a small hole dug in an area suspected, for any number of reasons, to contain relevant historical activity. It is used to identify portions of a site with higher interpretive value, such as areas where a structure like a house site may have been located. The analysis of artifacts recovered from these pits, along with the pattern of positive and negative shovel tests across a landscape, allows archaeologists to refine the spatial understanding of the site. This helps narrow down likely activity areas before any large-scale, more invasive excavation, ensuring that archaeological efforts are focused where they will be most productive.
During fieldwork, students excavated up to 20 shovel test pits, many of which were positive and yielded artifacts consistent with a domestic site. Recovered materials included various types of glass fragments, such as probable windowpane glass, solarized glass, cobalt blue glass, and milk glass consistent with bottle or container use. Additional finds included sherds of whiteware and porcelain, some with painted decoration, as well as widespread coal and slag present across much of the site, indicating sustained human activity. A small number of animal bone fragments were also recovered, further supporting the interpretation of a domestic space where food was prepared and consumed. Other artifacts made of metallic material recovered were also directly indicative of agricultural and home-site activity, such as a portion of a chain, a piece of horse tack, and part of a metal stove cover. While these artifacts may not be individually significant on their own, their spatial distribution and context provide valuable insight into the history and layout of the use of the site.
Conclusion: Interpreting the Landscape
With the artifacts and information gained from this week of field work, there is a better understanding of the distribution of human evidence in the site that can be used to decide the next site to be worked on and/or the direction that archaeological work is to be taken at Sesqui. This is important to the overall goal of the work being done there, as there were several STP’s that had significant artifact distribution in them that can give further insight into the previous inhabitance and use of the space.
References
Brown, Kaley, et al. A Layered History: Interpreting Cultural Resources at Sesquicentennial State Park. 2019, scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=pubhist_books.
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