Old Home Place: An Archaeological and Historical Investigation of Five Farm Sites along the Savannah River, Georgia and South Carolina

摘要

Historical and archaeological investigations were conducted at five historic farm sites in the Richard B. Russell Dam and Lake, GA and SC (Sites 9EB45, 38AB21, 38AB67, 38AB78, and 38AB287). One site is located in Elbert County, Georgia; the others are located in Abbeville County, South Carolina. The four families who lived at these sites represent four separate socioeconomic classes: black small farmer, white small farmer, average white planter, and white large-cale planter. It was determined through intensive surveys of each site that a possible direct correlation exists between the socioeconomic status of the primary site occupants and the intra-site patterning observed at each site. In addition, excavations at three of the house sites were used as the basis for an analysis of artifact patterning studies based on frequency variation. It was determined that a number of factors, both historical and archaeological, can ultimately affect the utility of artifact patterning studies. These factors include, among others, how and when a building was destroyed, whether salvage took place, the classification system, and the amount of excavation. For the results of artifact patterning studies to be considered valid, these factors must be controlled.