Slave artifacts uncovered at DuPont site

Image by South Carolina Department of Archives and HistoryImage by 20080602deanhall.jpg The main Dean Hall Plantation building prior to its removal. The artifacts were uncovered on 9 acres used as a slave settlement.

[gmap markers=blue::33.05816949218732,-79.94115829467773 |zoom=10 |center=32.991387418340466,-80.00381469726562 |width=160px |height=250px |control=None |type=Map]As many as 50,000 artifacts have been uncovered at a former slave settlement at the Dean Hall Plantation, the future site of a DuPont Kevlar fabric plant.

While many items are as simple as broken pottery shards, many are more interesting, among them: a bone toothbrush with boar bristles, the foot from a porcelain doll, a lead fishing weight, an 1852 3-cent piece. (view a photo gallery of some of the recovered items, or view a video)

The slave settlement was probably created in the 1840s, according to Andrew Agha, the project manager.

The artifacts were uncovered in a 9-acre site in about 2 to 4 feet of dirt late last year. The cleaning process has been ongoing since January, and they are about 20 percent complete.

The most interesting findings will likely be returned to the site for display, with the remainder being held by the state.

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