Possible Traces of Antebellum Home Unearthed in South Carolina

BLUFFTON, SOUTH CAROLINA—Bluffton Today reports that researchers led by archaeologist Katie Epps have found two rows of burned bricks, burned glass, rubble, and stone blocks resembling columns that may be traces of buildings burned to the ground by Union forces in 1863 during the Civil War. The house that once stood on the site was owned by William Pope Jr., who was also known as Squire Pope. He owned a plantation on Hilton Head Island and used his home in Bluffton, which is located further inland, as a summer residence. Some had thought any surviving traces of the house may have eroded into the May River, but Epps said that it is unlikely that Pope would have constructed his home so close to shore. “Front yards were on the riverside. The main traffic was the river. You want to position your house so you can show it off and they knew that,” Epps explained. The excavation team also recovered buttons, coins, tobacco pipes, a harmonica, part of a doll, and Native American pottery at the site. To read about a new theory regarding the sinking of the Confederate submarine Hunley, go to "Around the World: South Carolina."