{"id":3647,"date":"2026-07-24T16:38:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647"},"modified":"2026-07-24T16:38:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:38:13","slug":"a-treasure-hunt-with-a-purpose-usc-students-seek-clues-to-universitys-untold-past-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647","title":{"rendered":"A \u2018treasure hunt\u2019 with a purpose: USC students seek clues to university\u2019s untold past"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A ring of portable yellow barriers surrounds an active worksite at the head of the historic Horseshoe on the University of South Carolina campus. Inside, a handful of laborers dressed in bucket hats, gloves and work boots crouch in canopy-covered trenches churning up layers of dirt in the sweltering heat of a famously hot July afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3646\">Horry County under flood watch. Will the rain relieve us from a drought?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>What might look from a distance like the early-stage construction of the university\u2019s next big development project is actually the site of a multiyear archaeological excavation being conducted by USC students, faculty and community volunteers.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Led by Kelly Goldberg, a historical archaeologist and director of the university\u2019s Public Heritage Lab, the dig seeks to unearth information about USC\u2019s early history and raise awareness about the field of archaeology and the importance of protecting archaeological resources.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had been doing field schools out at Sesquicentennial State Park, and we thought, well, why not do some archaeology here on campus?\u201d said Goldberg, an instructor in USC\u2019s Honors College.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>While school administrators initially had some reservations about letting students excavate part of the university\u2019s historic core, they ultimately granted her permission to teach the hands-on class.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>When the course launched during the Spring 2024 semester, it marked the first time in 51 years that archaeological research had been conducted in the heart of campus.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>With the help of a couple 19th century maps and some preliminary shovel tests to see where artifacts were dispersed, Goldberg and her student field crew homed in on excavating the remains of an outbuilding behind the old president\u2019s house that they believe served as a kitchen and living quarters for enslaved people in the early-to-mid 1800s.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>They chose the outbuilding intentionally, Goldberg said, in the hope of learning more about the individuals who would have done the cooking, cleaning and washing for USC\u2019s early presidents and their families.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re not represented at all in the historical documents,\u201d she said of enslaved laborers who were instrumental in the construction and daily operations of the university in its early years. \u201cSo we\u2019re hoping to use that material culture to try to answer some of those questions about: What were they eating? What were they doing? What types of activities?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Over the past 2 \u00bd years, field crews have excavated tens of thousands of artifacts at the site, located directly in front of the McKissick Building. They include a wide variety of processed animal bones, dishware, glass buttons and even children\u2019s toys.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The personal objects are of greatest interest to Goldberg, whose own research explores sites of historical erasure within the African diaspora context.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThings like our bone toothbrushes, our hairpins, our children\u2019s toys \u2014 we have a marble, a doll leg, maybe a baby rattle \u2014 that really get that insight into daily life,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are looking for the building and that\u2019s important, but we\u2019re looking for stuff about the people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Ryan Gomez, a 27-year-old Midlands Tech student who recently completed Goldberg\u2019s intensive summer field school course, said uncovering artifacts that likely belonged to or were used by the enslaved workers filled him with a sense of importance.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cA big part of archaeology I like is being able to tell untold stories, and fill in gaps that are in the history books,\u201d said Gomez, who grew up metal detecting for Civil War artifacts in his native Charleston.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3644\">How and when to vote in the SC special Republican Senate primary in Horry County<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>He volunteers at the Horseshoe dig site in his free time, including last Friday, when he spent several hours troweling in a unit with multiple brick features believed to have once formed a path between the kitchen building and the old president\u2019s house.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a treasure hunt, essentially,\u201d said Gomez, who this summer parlayed his field experience into a seasonal job with an archaeological consulting firm.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Before finding his passion for archaeology, the soon-to-be second-year college student worked construction in downtown Charleston, where he got a front row seat to the destruction of cultural resources.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou would just hear crunch, crunch, crunch \u2026 300-year-old bottles just being crushed,\u201d when the excavator pierced the ground at work sites, Gomez said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The experience gave him an appreciation for the importance of surveying historically significant land for artifacts before embarking on new construction.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Raising that sort of cultural awareness, both among students and university staff, is one of Goldberg\u2019s primary goals for the Horseshoe excavation.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>She said she wants to get people thinking about the fact that historical relics are buried all around us, not just in far-flung, exotic places.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do here with campus is to get people thinking about: This is everywhere,\u201d Goldberg said. \u201cThere\u2019s no awareness of \u2018Why should we preserve?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Students in Goldberg\u2019s classes have not only gotten practice working in the field with shovels, trowels and sifting screens, they\u2019ve also spent time in the lab cleaning, cataloguing and bagging artifacts.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>With the Horseshoe excavation expected to wrap up later this summer, Goldberg is currently preparing for the next phase of the project: artifact curation and display.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>This coming spring, she\u2019ll be teaching an Honors College class where students will research objects unearthed at the Horseshoe, examine how other museums display artifacts with similarly fraught histories and create and install an exhibit on the first floor of the South Caroliniana Library.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cArchaeology is a service to the public.\u201d Goldberg said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to learn this information to share it so that everyone knows.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3643\">Flood watch issues for some Midlands counties. Here\u2019s where to expect rainfall<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the past 2 1\/2 years, UofSC students have been digging up the historic Horseshoe to learn more about the lives of slaves who were kept on campus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A \u2018treasure hunt\u2019 with a purpose: USC students seek clues to university\u2019s untold past - US Moving Experts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A \u2018treasure hunt\u2019 with a purpose: USC students seek clues to university\u2019s untold past - US Moving Experts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For the past 2 1\/2 years, UofSC students have been digging up the historic Horseshoe to learn more about the lives of slaves who were kept on campus.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"US Moving Experts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-24T16:38:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=3647#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=3647\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\"},\"headline\":\"A \u2018treasure hunt\u2019 with a purpose: USC students seek clues to university\u2019s untold past\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-24T16:38:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=3647\"},\"wordCount\":970,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=3647#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/000a31b7aef7f05346ba38de11b669e4.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Education\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=3647#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=3647\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=3647\",\"name\":\"A \u2018treasure hunt\u2019 with a purpose: USC students seek clues to university\u2019s untold past - US Moving Experts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=3647#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=3647#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/000a31b7aef7f05346ba38de11b669e4.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-24T16:38:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=3647#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=3647\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=3647#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/000a31b7aef7f05346ba38de11b669e4.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/000a31b7aef7f05346ba38de11b669e4.jpeg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=3647#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A \u2018treasure hunt\u2019 with a purpose: USC students seek clues to university\u2019s untold past\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"US Moving Experts\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A \u2018treasure hunt\u2019 with a purpose: USC students seek clues to university\u2019s untold past - US Moving Experts","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A \u2018treasure hunt\u2019 with a purpose: USC students seek clues to university\u2019s untold past - US Moving Experts","og_description":"For the past 2 1\/2 years, UofSC students have been digging up the historic Horseshoe to learn more about the lives of slaves who were kept on campus.","og_url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647","og_site_name":"US Moving Experts","article_published_time":"2026-07-24T16:38:13+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6"},"headline":"A \u2018treasure hunt\u2019 with a purpose: USC students seek clues to university\u2019s untold past","datePublished":"2026-07-24T16:38:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647"},"wordCount":970,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/000a31b7aef7f05346ba38de11b669e4.jpeg","articleSection":["Education"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647","url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647","name":"A \u2018treasure hunt\u2019 with a purpose: USC students seek clues to university\u2019s untold past - US Moving Experts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/000a31b7aef7f05346ba38de11b669e4.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-07-24T16:38:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/000a31b7aef7f05346ba38de11b669e4.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/000a31b7aef7f05346ba38de11b669e4.jpeg","width":1200,"height":675},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=3647#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A \u2018treasure hunt\u2019 with a purpose: USC students seek clues to university\u2019s untold past"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/","name":"US Moving Experts","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com"],"url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}