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The bell tower of St. George’s Anglican Church is one of the few above-ground relics at Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site.
Photo courtesy of DiscoverSouthCarolina.com
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Excavations to date have allowed park ranger Ashley Chapman to map the location of the Colonial city's streets and buildings.
Photo by Natalie Caula Hauff
Nestled on the banks of the Ashley River just northwest of Charleston, Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site is a scenic retreat where archaeologists are uncovering the stories of South Carolina’s forgotten past.
Above ground, the 325-acre park is known for its obvious ruins—a tabby-wall fort, built with oyster-shell concrete, overlooking the river and the St. George’s Anglican Church bell tower, built in 1751. But for park ranger Ashley Chapman, the real points of interest are still buried in the soil.
“It’s a dynamic, ever-changing museum. There’s always a new story to be told,” Chapman says of his archaeological work. “An entire Colonial town is right beneath our feet.”
Puritan Congregationalists from Massachusetts founded Dorchester in 1697. With a strategic location on the river, the small city became a thriving inland seaport until trade was disrupted by the Revolutionary War and the town was abandoned in the 1770s. By carefully unearthing and conserving a wide collection of artifacts—even the trash villagers left behind—Chapman is piecing together a richly detailed picture of what life was like in Colonial South Carolina.
“Dorchester as a scientific, historical backdrop is so important because it represents a good hundred years of American history that is absolutely intact,” he says.
When they aren’t waist deep in excavation pits or hosting school groups during hands-on archeological education programs, Chapman and fellow ranger Mary Mikulla lead guided tours of the site. They show visitors some of the key artifacts discovered to date and explain how each new discovery provides a glimpse of what life was like in the once-thriving village.
Even mundane objects can lead to surprising discoveries. When archeologists found a wine-bottle seal with the name Archibald McNeill on it, a search of historical records revealed that McNeill was a doctor who rented a home in the town around 1777. Another dig site unearthed more than 100 wig curlers concentrated in one specific lot of the site, leading Chapman to theorize that a wigmaker once worked and lived there.
“I feel fairly certain we found his shop,” he says.
Every clue serves to enhance the picture. Chapman is determined to map the entire town based on the discoveries and complete a scale model of what it looked like so visitors can better imagine the history under their feet.
“There are telltale signs that help me figure out what goes where,” Chapman says. “The artifacts don’t lie.”
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Get There
Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site is located at 300 State Park Road in Summerville.
Hours: The park is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during daylight saving time. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the remainder of the year.
Admission: $2 for adults, $1.25 for South Carolina senior citizens and free for children 15 and under.
Details: Park information and upcoming events can be found online or by calling (843) 873-1740.