Question of the Week – War of 1812 Artifact

What is this that was found while subsoiling a field on John’s Island in Charleston recently?

Sidi Limehouse was bottom plowing a field at the end of Johns Island a few weeks ago when he hit something, made another pass, and hit it again. They had been farming the field for years; another local farmer had planted the ground for years before him. They began excavating the mystery and started pulling up handmade bricks. The structure was around 4 feet by 12 feet. A historian was called and brought out a metal detector. They started finding buttons, Spanish and English coins, pottery, old metal scraps, and massive oyster shells as they sifted soil from the site. The historian who helped excavate the site believes this was a latrine from a camp used by soldiers in the War of 1812. No wonder the crops that grow in that spot look so good!

This week’s question is from Zack Snipes, Coastal Region Extension Agent.