Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve
Contact Information
SC Department of Natural ResourcesHeritage Trust Program
(803) 734-3886 (Columbia)
Hours of Operation
The area is open during daylight hours year-round.
Contributions to the Endangered Wildlife Fund on the South Carolina Income Tax Form help to make the identification and management of these preserves possible.
Description
Bountiful wildlife, sunlit dappled forest paths, 12,000 years of history and pre-history are tucked away in a pristine setting, just a stone's throw from downtown city lights at Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve. The 627-acre preserve borders the Congaree River and Cayce.
Archaeologists have found tools, pottery sherds, arrowheads and other evidence that people have lived in and around the preserve for nearly 12,000 years. A road which runs nearby through part of the preserve is part of the Old Cherokee Trail, which led from the Appalachian Mountains to the coast.
Archaeologist Lisa O'Steen worked on a dig on neighboring property owned by SCE&G. Projectile points in the area indicate it was an Indian gathering place about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. O'Steen's group found also found evidence of people living there 2,500 years ago, as well as a home site from the 1760s.
The Indians who once lived there "were probably hunter-gatherers of 20 or 30 who moved around 10,000 years go," says Chris Judge, archaeologist for the Department of Natural Resources Heritage Trust Program. "They didn't stay for long so they didn't generate much trash. The people were mobile."
In the winter months, perhaps 450 or so people probably gathered for two or three months to mate, have ceremonies and so forth before heading down the Congaree River.
The first Anglo-Saxon settlement at Fort Congaree was established in 1718 on the Congaree River. Later, the community of Saxe Gotha Township was founded in 1731. Fort Granby was established in the Revolutionary War era. On adjacent property, earthworks still remain where Confederate soldiers dug in as Gen. Sherman's troops headed to Columbia on Feb. 14, 1865. The Confederates burned the bridge to Columbia to prevent the Federal troops from entering the city.
Beginning in the early 1900s, clay was dug from pits for the Guignard Brickworks, with peak production in World War I. The clay pits now form several ponds, home to all kinds of wildlife.
Hikers can walk an easy 2.5-mile trail loop in about 1 and ½ hours and view ponds where duckweed and lily pads flourish and teem with wildlife, including an occasional elusive alligator. In the last year or so, seven (7) bridges and one (1) bench have been added to the trail. The area is also home to a variety of snakes, turtles, bobcats, deer, hogs, hawks, water fowl and other birds. This 70-year-old hardwood forest at one time was farmlands. There is a parking area now available on the right of Old State Road just before the pavement ends.
The Guignard Brickworks Trail, which runs through part of the preserve has been designated by the White House as a Community Millennium Trail. This trail, as dozens of Millennium Trails throughout the nation, reflects community history through natural settings.
Judge wants to develop miles of walking and canoe trails through the property, as well as interpretive areas and benches along the way. He also hopes to build a couple of public parking spots near the trail.
"It's so hard to realize this is so close to Columbia," Judge says, and the trail truly reflects the city's history. "On the preserve, there are 12,000 years of history on one piece of property. There's almost something from every part of human culture here. We feel we ought to protect the oldest culture we know of."
This year the canoe trail is being cleared by Brian Long, DNR Staff - Cultural Preserve Manager, and members of the Stewardship Committee. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Brian Long 803-609-7057.