Archaeological Excavations at the Heyward-Washington House

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The Charleston Museum

Heyward Washington House

Visit the Heyward-Washington House in March and April for a unique opportunity to witness an archaeological field school and dig in action. Located in the garden behind the Heyward-Washington House, visitors are invited to explore the dig site on Fridays from 2 PM to 5 PM and Saturdays from 10 AM to 5 PM from Friday, March 14th – Saturday, April 19th, 2025. During their visit, guests will experience an archaeological dig firsthand and see excavations of one of the earliest documented parts of colonial Charleston. The Charleston Museum Archaeologist and the College of Charleston Archaeology Department faculty and students will be on-site to answer questions and provide insights into artifacts and history from some of the earliest recorded parts of Charleston lying just beneath our feet. This experience is free for Museum Members or free with admission to the Heyward-Washington House.

This spring at the Heyward-Washington House, archaeologists and researchers from The Charleston Museum and The College of Charleston will be conducting a field school to continue to document one of the earliest sites of colonial downtown Charleston. Excavations began at 87 Church Street in the late 1970s by The Charleston Museum archaeologist Dr. Elaine Herold. Dr. Herold was able to locate the remnants of structures, a forge, and much more which proved to be home to city gunsmith John Milner Sr. Milner’s home and workshop had been crucial to the defense and trade of early Charleston. This work was then continued in and around the stable by The Charleston Museum’s Curator of Historical Archaeology, Martha Zierden, over the following decades. These excavations provided an unbelievable wealth of material and information which continues to be the topic of dissertations and research to this day.

Join College of Charleston Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Dr. Sarah Platt, and Museum Curator of Archaeology, John Fisher, alongside students and volunteers as they search for early colonial Charleston in new undocumented areas at one of the oldest sites in downtown Charleston, The Heyward-Washington House grounds.

Be sure to visit our website again in April for the chance to register for an exclusive hands-on experience at the Heyward-Washington dig site!

Field school visits are free for Museum Members or free with admission. Reservations are not required.

Field school is weather dependent. Please call 843-722-2996 if there are any weather concerns on the day of your visit.

For more information, please call 843-722-2996 ext. 235