By Kathlyn Hammett, SCDNR Archaeology Intern 

This past summer, I had the amazing opportunity to be an archaeology intern with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resource’s (SCDNR) Cultural Heritage Trust Program. Archaeology is something that has always interested me and something that I have been actively pursuing throughout my undergraduate studies at the University of South Carolina. While my primary area of focus is Classical and Mediterranean archaeology, I knew this internship would expose me to many different methodologies and strengthen my archaeological skills. However, this internship has shown me that there are even more opportunities within the archaeological field than I had originally thought. My time at SCDNR introduced me to aspects of archaeology I had never previously considered and revealed the endless possibilities within the field! 

Most days spent at SCDNR’s Parker Annex Archaeology Center were filled with lab work where we washed, sorted, and bagged artifacts from Fort Frederick Heritage Preserve. Working on the collection from this preserve was exciting due to its complex nature. The preserve itself includes tabby structures above and below ground including Fort Frederick and evidence of structures on the former Smith Plantation component. Tabby is an early building material consisting of shell, sand, water, and lime ash. The shell in the mixture is said to have been collected by British colonials from local Indigenous shell middens to make tabby structures. This became abundantly clear as the collection contained more than just oyster shells and included pottery sherds, kaolin pipes, glass shards, metal, and the occasional bead. Processing the Fort Frederick collection was a unique experience because it was possible to look at a mixture of thousands of years of history and culture within a singular context.  

Throughout the internship, there were also multiple guest speakers who came and visited us or whom we visited. During these visits, the speakers would talk about their area of interest and its relation to archaeology. Some of the topics of discussion that stuck out to me were photogrammetry, geographic information systems (GIS), the Native American Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), forensic anthropology, experimental archaeology, preservation, and curation.  My favorite discussion was our talk about Roman Archaeology as it directly relates to my interests. However, I was shocked to find that I really enjoyed our lecture on disaster preparedness and recovery. For this talk, our supervisor Meg Gaillard told us about her experience recovering the collections that were damaged during the 2015 Carolina Flood. She then had our intern cohort participate in a simulated disaster scenario where we tried to recover and catalog artifacts and documents that were affected by water. While this simulation was stressful at first, the experience was invaluable and showed that the duty of an archaeologist goes beyond the initial excavation and continues to even the possibility of a disaster. 

While I knew that I would be gathering valuable archaeological skills and experience from this internship, I did not expect the level of friendliness within the Cultural Heritage Trust Program. Getting to know the other girls in my cohort and the program staff was one of the highlights of my summer. Being in an environment full of professionals who truly care about their field was an amazing experience, and it is something that I hope to replicate in my future career. My time as an SCDNR archaeology intern has further strengthened my interest in archaeology and has even opened new possibilities that I can’t wait to explore! The experience, memories, and connections made at Parker Annex are something that I will cherish forever as I continue my journey in archaeology!