In Savannah, Georgia, contractors have found artifacts that were believed to be owned by slaves from the William Miller plantation. As workers excavated the site for a new highway, archeologists were called as part of the transportation department’s federal requirements. They have been searching through the area for three months.
William Miller was a Savannah, Georgia attorney. He took ownership of the land in the late 1850’s after planters.
So far, archeologists have found nearly 34,000 artifacts from the mid 18th century. The site was once the location of Miller’s slave quarters, which held about 87 slaves. A few of the items found on the grounds include broken bottles and plates, a Mexican coin purse, a Mexican coin and a penny from 1865. Old long nails for wooden structures indicated less than adequate housing for the slaves. Other items included a cast iron pot and a small sewing thimble.
As the civil war developed and Savannah was invaded by the Union Army, archeologists found evidence that soldiers had set up camp across the Miller plantation. Uniform buttons and musket bullets were found in the search.
After a thorough examination, the items will be sent to the University of West Georgia in Carrollton.
Little Known Black History Fact: The Miller Plantation Artifacts
was originally published on
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