Getting a bead on past

I've written more than a dozen news stories and columns about archaeological work in the Lowcountry, but I've never wielded a trowel.

Still, reporters are supposed to dig, so when Drayton Hall's second annual archaeological institute rolled around, I dug.

The "institute" is a fancy name for what more accurately could be called Drayton Hall's volunteer archaeology project.

The idea is to take people interested in history and put them to work under the careful supervision of Director of Preservation Carter Hudgins and archaeologist Sarah Stroud, who is seeking a doctorate from Syracuse University.

Drayton Hall benefits from the free labor, while the volunteers get a chance to learn what it's like to peel back a long-hidden layer of the past.

Last year, the first batch of volunteers explored what was left of a colonnade structure that once linked the main house to its two now-gone flanker buildings.

During that dig, they also happened to unearth part of the foundation of the original house, thought to be a circa-1680 structure built by the property's first English owner, Joseph Harbine.

This find excited Stroud, who subsequently shifted the focus of her doctorate work to the site's pre-Drayton era (before 1738).

That's why this year's dig honed in on two 75-square-foot rectangles just outside a portion of the north flanker building.

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Drayton Dig

Friday was one of the last of Drayton Hall's digs in its second annual archaeological institute.

An earlier excavation nearby uncovered evidence of an early trench, likely a fortification of earth and built by Harbine. It's the most significant pre-Drayton archaeological site found on the property to date (aside from the foundation found last year).

"The most interesting thing is to think about life on the frontier," Hudgins said. "This is enabling us to examine town versus country and how those two spheres were different but the same."

For the first settlers, the Lowcountry was a dangerous place.

As beginning archaeologists, our dangers are far more easily managed with routine outdoor advice: Stay hydrated, use bug spray, wear sunscreen.

Hudgins and Stroud then explain the more nuanced techniques, such as carefully scraping off layers with a trowel or a flat-bottomed shovel, which also is called "schnitting."

"Just don't dig like a dog," Hudgins advises.

My task is to remove about 8 inches of dirt in a five-foot-wide trench.

The excitement of my first artifact eventually dims as it became clear that it's simply yet another piece of animal bone, one of thousands collected since the dig began two weeks ago.

Scraping a thin layer of dark dirt, I then unearth a fragment of an old wine bottle and a bright white rock, likely a chunk of Bermuda stone. Brief bursts of excitement ripple through the monotony.

Then, near quitting time, I notice something small that my trowel dislodged. Picking it up and rubbing off a layer of dirt, I find a small red bead with black near its openings on either end.

I show the pea-sized piece to Stroud, who declares: "This makes me very happy!"

It's possible evidence that Harbine and other early occupants traded here with the Indians, who often exchanged fur pelts for such fancy beads, mostly made in Venice. After several days of slim pickings, volunteers unearth at least three beads Friday.

"The fur trade was very prevalent early on," Stroud explains. "That's why we're excited. It's just another piece of the puzzle. And they're really beautiful, a fun artifact to find."

Of course, for every day of digging, there's about six days of indoor grunt work cataloging the artifacts and recording what was found where.

The two recently excavated areas will remain open this week for anyone who wants to examine them. Hudgins says they eventually will be backfilled with sand that has been sprinkled with several 2009 pennies.

After all, we need to leave something for those who will dig here 300 years from now.

Coming up

At 7 p.m. Thursday, author Stephen Hoffius will speak about the new book, "Northern Money, Southern Land," a compilation and updating of 1930s-era newspaper coverage of Lowcountry plantations. The talk will be the Preservation Society of Charleston's fall meeting and will be at the Charleston Museum. The public is welcome.

Robert Behre may be reached at 937-5771 or by fax at 937-5579. His e-mail address is rbehre@postand courier.com, and his mailing address is 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403.