Belmont Neck Site (38KE06)
National Register Listing
Street Address:
Address Restricted (Kershaw County)
Alternate Name:
Belmount Plantation, Chesnut's Mound
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817728019
Description and Narrative:
The principal components of significance of the Belmont Neck Site include the Mississippian occupation and the late eighteenth century plantation settlement geared toward indigo production. The site is unique in containing a long and extensive record of early Mississippian occupation in South Carolina. It is rare that a Mississippian site in South Carolina yields evidence of pre-A.D. 1200 Mississippian occupation and there are no known sites north of the Savannah River that have platform mounds from this early period other than Belmont Neck. From about 950 to 1300 A.D., the Belmont Neck Site was the location of a platform mound and town associated with the Native American chiefdom of Cofitachequi. It appears to be the first of twelve mound towns along the Catawba/Wateree River. The construction of these villages centered around platform mounds was the beginning of a new sociopolitical order for the region. The earliest written record we have of the mound was in the mid-nineteenth century when Dr. William Blanding described a 15-foot tall mound at Belmont Neck. Today only the foundation of the mound remains, but archaeological investigations are providing important information about the construction of the mound and the lives of the inhabitants of the town. The Belmont Neck Site also includes a historic component. From approximately 1772 to 1796, it was the location of indigo production by Colonel John Chesnut of Camden. Through archaeological investigations, the site has the potential to provide important information about inland indigo plantations. Listed in the National Register February 3, 2006.
Period of Significance:
950;950 – 1300;circa 1200;1772 – 1796
Level of Significance:
State
Area of Significance:
Archeology: Prehistoric;Archeology
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
February 3 2006