Buzzard Island Heritage Preserve
Contact Information
Non-game and Heritage Trust SectionSC Department of Natural Resources
PO Box 167
Columbia, SC 29202
(803) 734-3886
Hours of Operation
This preserve is not open to the public.
Contributions to the Endangered Wildlife Fund on the South Carolina Income Tax Form help to make the identification and management of these preserves possible.
Photographs
Description
The preserve contains a shell ring that represents our earliest look at coastal dwellers in South Carolina. It’s one of approximately 20 such rings in the state dating from roughly 4,500 – 3,000 B.P.
Shell rings occur along the coast and are close to tidal creeks. They were created during the Late Archaic Period 5,000 - 3,000 years ago. Archaeological work indicates that during this period, human groups made extensive use of coastal resources, particularly shellfish. The remains of the shellfish helped form the shell rings.
Shells change the ph of soils in midden deposits and allow for the preservation of organic
remains generally not sealed in the archaeological record because of humid climates and acidic
soils. Middens are accumulated refuse from various human activities that include a mixture of
soil, the remains of food prepared from both animals and plants, shells and discarded or lost
artifacts. From these middens, archaeologists can reconstruct past human activities and
environments.