PARTICIPATION IN SOUTH CAROLINA ARCHAEOLOGY MONTH 2012

Plans are underway for the 21st Annual South Carolina Archaeology Month 2012 celebration, which will be held October 1-31, 2012.  

The Board of the Archaeological Society of South Carolina will sponsor the 25th Annual Archaeology Field Day on October 20, 2012 at Santee State Park!

The Director of the Institute has once again made a commitment to provide coordination in the statewide programming, which will involve schools, museums, libraries, the archaeological and preservation community, and other public forums throughout the state of South Carolina.  Please send me any programs that you are offering throughout the fall, and into next year and dates and location of the ASSC Annual Conference and the SAAs.  Your involvement is encouraged and welcomed!
 

The theme for the South Carolina Archaeology Month Poster 2012 is “Civil War Shipwrecks in South Carolina.”  The design of the front will be on the SCIAA website soon.  The poster will be delivered to the printer before the end of August. Any program on maritime research in the state will be most welcome.  Ashley Deming has organized four lectures on Civil War/1812 shipwrecks every Wednesday in October at the Charleston County Public Library.

The budget is similar to the past several years.  We rely on private donations.  The SC Department of Archives and History has again committed to the funding of the printing of the poster through a Federal Planning Grant.  The listing of programs will be posted on the SCIAA website as soon as I have received them, and I hope that the SCIAA website can be linked to other participant sites.  These programs and events are welcome to be displayed on anyone’s website, which will help to get the word out.  I want to thank everyone who has supported these events and programs through the years.

The deadline for program submissions is August 31, 2012.  If you want to help with the planning of South Carolina Archaeology Month activities, please contact me at the SC Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, (803) 576-6573 Office, (803) 331-3431 Cell, or email me at nrice@sc.edu.

Thank you so much for your support, and I look forward to working with you again this year.


Sincerely yours,

Nena Powell Rice
2012 South Carolina Archaeology Month Coordinator
University of South Carolina
SC Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology
1321 Pendleton Street
Columbia, SC  29208(803) 576-6573 Office(803) 331-3431 Cellnrice@sc.edu
http://www.artsandsciences.sc.edu/sciaa/npr

August 23: African American Civil War Lecture at Spartanburg Regional History Museum

African American Civil War Lecture at Penn Center

The South Carolina African American Heritage Commission is proud to announce that its Foundation has been awarded a $7,000.00 matching grant from The Humanities Council SC for the "African American Civil War Lecture Series". The goal of the lecture series is to enlighten the general public to the roles of African Americans during the American Civil War, moreover the series will provide opportunities for much needed dialogue about one of the most pivotal events in United States history. The series is timely and appropriate because through 2015 this nation will be commemorating the sesquicentennial of the war.

"The Civil War was the defining moment in American history," says Dr. Abel Bartley, Director of the Pan-African Studies Program at Clemson University. "It split the nation in two before and after slavery," he adds. "It is an event which continues to separate Americans," he concludes.

The following venues, dates, presenters and subject matters will be addressed:

The Spartanburg Regional History Museum, 200 E. St. John Street, Spartanburg, SC / These lectures will be held on Thursday, August 23, 2012 from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
* Dr. Veronica Gerald: "Grapevine: How African Americans Communicated During the Civil War"
* Dr. Eric Emerson: "The Ordinance of Secession"
* Nicole Green: "Slavery in South Carolina"
* Dr. Abel Bartley: "The Causes of the War"
　
Upcoming Lectures:
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History, 8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC / These lectures will be held on Thursday, October 2, 2012 from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
* Dr. Veronica Gerald: "Grapevine: How African Americans Communicated During the Civil War"
* Ernest Parks: "The Battle of Sol Legare"
* Dr. Larry Watson: "Black Confederates"
* Jeannie Cyraique: "The Men at the Meeting with General Sherman

"With particular but not exclusive emphasis on the South Carolina experience, this multifaceted lecture series will delve deeply into the daunting issues that propelled the nation into an unprecedented fratricidal conflict, the myriad roles played by African Americans and the lasting implications for our time," says Dr. Bernard E. Powers, Jr., Professor of History and Associate Chairman at the College of Charleston. "Given the nature of the subjects, I expect many lively, frank and enlightening discussions to result ; it will be a welcome and needed educational opportunity," adds Dr. Powers.

All lectures are free and open to the public. Anyone needing additional information on the lectures should contact Joseph McGill, Commissioner for the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission and project coordinator. He can be reached at 843-408-7727.

The mission of the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission is to identify and promote the preservation of historic sites, structures, buildings, and culture of the African American experience in South Carolina and to assist and enhance the efforts of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. The 15-member commission includes representatives from all regions of the state.

This event is free and open to the public. The Penn Center is located on Martin L. King, Jr. Drive, St. Helena Island, SC.

For more information, contact the Penn Center at (843) 838-2474 or Joseph McGill at (843) 408-7727 or email: joseph_mcgill@nthp.org

Archaeologists at Cowpens seek Daniel Morgan's camp

Archaeologists at Cowpens seek Daniel Morgan's camp

COWPENS NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD — More than 20 volunteers came together to uncover a piece of Cowpens' history this weekend.

The Southeast Archaeological Society joined forces with the Cowpens National Battlefield and volunteers in search of archaeological evidence proving the location of Gen. Daniel Morgan's campsite during the Revolutionary War. The campsite is believed to be part of the battlefield's acreage, said Michael Seibert, an archaeologist at the Southeast Archaeological Center in Tallahassee, Fla. He has been with the center for four years.

Volunteers from the park, archaeological center, Archaeological Society of South Carolina and the South Carolina Treasure and Artifact Association carried out the second metal detection survey of the campsite. Volunteers of all ages spent two 10-hour days searching more than 10 acres.

They found 40 artifacts, including belt buckles, musket balls and nails, Seibert said. “We exceeded expectations,” he said. “We found something; that's all that matters.”

Recruiting volunteers is a way to include the local community, Seibert said.

“National parks belong to everybody,” he said. Despite the heat, snakes, poison ivy and other challenges, Seibert said the team “did a great job.”

You can read the rest of the article here.