New archaeology group digs deeper into history

New archaeology group digs deeper into history (Added: July 06, 2010)

CONWAY - Joint effort between archaeology professors and local enthusiasts aims to create regional resource for historic finds. (more)

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New archaeology group digs deeper into history

Cheryl Ward, left, and Jim Smith of the new Waccamaw Chapter of the Archaeologists Society of South Carolina, examine artifacts and stone tools collected by Smith

By: Rusty Ray | SCNOW
Published: July 06, 2010

CONWAY - Jim Smith said he was hooked on collecting artifacts from the past when he found his first arrowhead at age nine.
"It took until many years later to finally call 'time out,' and say, 'I wonder what this object really is?'" Smith said.
That quest lead him to amass a large collection of artifacts, and to build a base of knowledge about who and where they came from, which he shares with groups from schools, scout troops, and anyone who wants to learn more. But Smith and others also want to learn more, and have turned to Coastal Carolina University's Archaeology Department for help.
"We're interested in all parts of the story," said Professor Cheryl Ward, Ph.D. "Archaeologists really are about the story. It's just that our subjects happen to be dead. We have to look at their belongings and their discards, their trash, in order to have the chance to learn about what their lives were like," she said.
So Ward and Smith are teaming up to form the brand new Waccamaw Chapter of the Archaeological Society of South Carolina. The group has its next meeting July 13, at 7:00 p.m. at the Waccamaw Center for Higher Education in Litchfield Beach. There will also be an opportunity in August for chapter members to participate in a dig at the site CCU students began processing last month at the Waccamaw River National Wildlife Refuge in Georgetown County.
"You don't have to be an archaeologist to go out and work with us," said Ward.
She and Smith hope the new chapter can become a regional resource for those who are interested in archaeology or in the rich history of the Eastern Carolinas.
"There's a lot of farmers, a lot of land owners out there that have always wanted to learn more about really what is on their property," said Smith. "We can come out and say, 'hey, now this is important. Don't mess with this,'" he said.
For more information on the new chapter or about how to contact either Cheryl Ward or Jim Smith, click here.