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Unearthing History: Indigenous Shell Middens & Mounds in Myrtle Beach, SC

At Swash Manor, we uncover artifacts that reveal over 5,000 years of human activity. The land carries a mystical energy, adding to its rich history.

I feel incredibly fortunate to own this home—it is a truly special place.

The Pee Dee People

Alternate Spellings: Pedee, Peedee, Peadea, Pidees
Possible Meanings: Derived from pi’ri (Catawba for “something good”) or pi’here (“smart, expert, capable”)
Language Family: Siouan

The Pee Dee were among the first Native American peoples encountered by European explorers in the Americas. Spanish explorer Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón made contact with them in 1521. Long before European arrival, the Pee Dee lived along the Pee Dee River, stretching from Winyah Bay near Georgetown, South Carolina, to the Town Creek area in North Carolina.e Pee Dee River from Winyah Bay (near Georgetown, SC) to the Town Creek area of North Carolina.

Found at Swash Manor
found at Swash Manor
found at Swash Manor
found at Swash Manor
found at Swash Manor
found at Swash Manor
found at Swash Manor
found at Swash Manor

A Google photo album of almost everything i have found. https://photos.app.goo.gl/cYTHRLx9qjPDHKNt6

Artifacts of Swash Manor

A Google photo album documenting nearly everything I’ve found: View Here

The Pee Dee People

The Pee Dee were skilled agriculturalists, raising crops for food and utilizing the Pee Dee River as a vital trade route with neighboring tribes. A unique tradition among the early Pee Dee was the construction of sacred burial mounds, some of which still remain along the river today.

When English colonists began arriving in Charleston around 1670, the Pee Dee initially welcomed them. However, European diseases devastated their population. Despite this, they adapted by trading deer skins and forming alliances with the colonists. During the Revolutionary War, the Pee Dee fought alongside the colonists in their struggle for independence from Britain.

Today, most members of the Pee Dee Indian Nation reside near Cheraw and McColl, South Carolina. They remain deeply connected to their land and community. Their spirit of generosity was evident during Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew, when they provided food and supplies to those in need.

In 1711, South Carolina’s English colonists enlisted the Pee Dee to fight in the Tuscarora War, and in 1715-1716, they joined forces in the Yemassee War, after which the defeated Yemassee retreated to Spanish Florida. By the 1730s, settlers had begun moving into what are now Marlboro, Marion, and Dillon Counties in South Carolina, where they coexisted with the Pee Dee with relatively little conflict.

Historians and archaeologists claim that the Pee Dee became extinct by 1808, but oral histories passed down through generations tell a very different story. Between 1730 and 1800, smaller tribes like the Pee Dee were nearly wiped out due to disease, attacks from larger tribes, and land disputes with white settlers. With no legal protections, the Pee Dee were reclassified under South Carolina law as Mulatto, Croatan, or free persons of color, stripping them of their indigenous status.

Found in field across from Swash Manor by ditch/swash other side of bridge
Found in field across from Swash Manor by ditch/swash other side of bridge
Found in field across from Swash Manor by ditch/swash other side of bridge
Found in field across from Swash Manor by ditch/swash other side of bridge

The Changing Life of the Pee Dee

From the late 1790s through the Indian Removal Acts of the 1830s, the Pee Dee and other small bands gradually adapted to aspects of European-American life. They abandoned their traditional round dwellings and began building log cabins on the land available to them.

Between the early 1800s and the Civil War (1861-1865), descendants of the original Pee Dee lived in small family clans along the rivers. Some became sharecroppers for white farmers—descendants of the very settlers whom the Pee Dee had once helped to defeat the British during the Revolutionary War. Despite their complex history with the South, some Pee Dee warriors fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Today, many tribal members trace their Indian heritage back to those soldiers.

Native American Recognition in South Carolina

Of South Carolina’s Native American groups, only the Catawba Indian Nation is federally recognized. However, the state acknowledges several other state-recognized tribes that continue to preserve their heritage and culture, including:

For a full list of South Carolina’s recognized Native American Indian entities, visit: South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs.

The Waccamaw Tribe’s Historic Recognition

The Waccamaw Tribe holds a special place in South Carolina’s history, becoming the first tribe to gain official recognition from the South Carolina Office of Vital Statistics. Their recognition was later affirmed by the Governor’s Minority Affairs Ad Hoc Committee on Indian Recognition.

On February 17, 2005, during a meeting of the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs, the Waccamaw Indian People made history as the first of two state-recognized tribes in South Carolina. Today, the state officially recognizes eight tribes.

For more information on the Waccamaw Indian People, visit: Waccamaw Official Website.

Pee Dee Indian Tribe of South Carolina
445 Williams Street
McColl, SC 29570
Telephone: 843-319-4435
Email: government@peedeetribe.org

Indigenous Peoples Ancient items found in Myrtle Beach SC Shell & Middens, Ancient shell mounds.

Found at Swash Manor in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Shell Rings and Coastal Archaeology

One of my favorite archaeological sites is the Sewee Shell Ring, which is listed on Wikipedia’s Shell Ring page. I’ve had the opportunity to visit it many times, making it a special place for me. Interestingly, as luck would have it, I now live on what could be a potential shell ring or mound—possibly a home or village site—in Myrtle Beach.

For more on the Sewee Shell Mound, visit: Sewee Shell Mound Interpretive Trail.

Resources on Shell Rings and Middens

The First People of the South Carolina Lowcountry

The Lowcountry of South Carolina was once home to more than a dozen distinct Native American groups, though their history is now barely remembered. After the founding of Charleston in 1670, indigenous people regularly interacted with European settlers and enslaved Africans brought from the Caribbean. However, disease, warfare, and displacement led to their near extinction by the mid-18th century. While their history has largely faded, their names remain ingrained in the region’s geography and culture.

Ancient Underwater Middens

Ancient shell middens—remnants of early coastal communities—offer clues about life before rising seas reshaped the shoreline. New methods are emerging to study these submerged sites, shedding light on how early inhabitants lived and adapted to their environment.

Additional Archaeological Research

These resources provide valuable insights into shell rings, middens, and Native American history in the Carolinas.

Divers excavate a shallow water submerged Mesolithic midden off the island of Hjarnø, Denmark. J. Benjamin.
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Block-removal-of-an-undisturbed-section-of-the-Hjarno-shell-midden-deposit-and-potential_fig5_326011644

Ancient Indigenous Artifacts & Shell Mounds of Myrtle Beach, SCUnearthing History: Indigenous Shell Middens & Mounds in Myrtle Beach, SCEchoes of the Past: Ancient Shell Rings & Middens in Myrtle BeachLost Civilizations: Indigenous Shell Rings & Artifacts of Myrtle Beach5,000 Years of History: Shell Mounds & Native Artifacts in Myrtle BeachAncient Shell Middens & Indigenous Sites in Myrtle Beach, SCTracing the Past: Shell Rings, Middens, and Indigenous Life in Myrtle BeachMysteries Beneath the Sand: Ancient Indigenous Shell Rings of Myrtle Beach

History of Swash Manor c1924 http://swashmanor.com/swash-manors-history/

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