Archaeologists find historic SC roadway uncovered by October flooding

With a little help from the Oct. 4 flooding, archaeologists have discovered a historic roadway at the McGrady Army National Guard Training Center in lower Richland County.

Jason Moser, the cultural resource manager for the S.C. Army National Guard, and his team stumbled upon part of the road during an inspection of the training center after the flood.

The flooding had washed away part of Colonel’s Creek Road, and after pumping out the leftover water there, Moser’s team found a wooden section of the historic road underneath.

“I don’t often find something like this,” Moser said. “It is a pretty special project.”

Moser said the route was primarily a dirt road that probably carried traffic between Winnsboro and southeastern Richland County. The wooden planks they found were probably meant to help wagons and horses navigate the area’s wetlands, Moser said.

The road could be at least 150 years old, though the wooden planks were likely installed between the late 1800s and 1940, he said.

About 100 yards away, State Underwater Archaeologist James Spirek and his team found that the site of Garners Mill, built in the 1800s, had been damaged by flooding.

Spirek said floodwaters swept some timbers from the mill a few hundred yards downstream, some which wound up tangled in trees and brush.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 7:54 PM with the headline "Archaeologists find historic SC roadway uncovered by October flooding."