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

Before Myrtle Beach: 5,000 Years of Indigenous History at Withers Swash

Long before hotels, highways, golf courses, and tourism transformed the Grand Strand, the land surrounding present-day Withers Swash in Myrtle Beach formed part of an ancient coastal environment occupied by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years.

The area surrounding what is now known as Swash Manor appears consistent with broader patterns of prehistoric Indigenous occupation documented throughout coastal South Carolina. Pottery fragments, shell deposits, food remains, stone artifacts, and the geography of the site itself suggest repeated human activity beside Withers Swash stretching back long before the modern city of Myrtle Beach existed.

Based on comparisons to known archaeological sites throughout the South Carolina coast, multiple researchers, collectors, historians, and individuals familiar with regional archaeology have suggested the area may reflect as much as 5,000 years of layered human activity. While no formal archaeological excavation or carbon dating study has yet been conducted directly on the property, the material observed near Withers Swash appears broadly consistent with known Indigenous coastal occupation patterns documented throughout the Southeast.

Today, the property represents a rare surviving connection between prehistoric Indigenous occupation, colonial-era coastal settlement, early Myrtle Beach development, and the modern city that later grew around it.

The Ancient Coastal Environment

Before modern development reshaped Myrtle Beach, Withers Swash formed part of a rich estuarine environment connected to tidal creeks, marshlands, shellfish beds, freshwater sources, and coastal forests.

For thousands of years, locations like this provided:

The slightly elevated ground beside the swash would have offered important advantages during seasonal flooding while remaining close to valuable coastal resources.

Even today, the geography of the property helps explain why humans may have repeatedly occupied this location for generations.

Indigenous Peoples of the Grand Strand

Human occupation of coastal South Carolina stretches back thousands of years before written history.

The earliest peoples associated with the Southeast were Paleo-Indian hunter-gatherers who entered the region near the end of the Ice Age more than 10,000 years ago.

Over time, increasingly complex Archaic and Woodland cultures developed throughout the rivers, swamps, tidal creeks, and coastal estuaries of what is now the Pee Dee and Waccamaw regions.

Historically documented tribes associated with the broader region later included:

The Carolinas also experienced interaction among larger Siouan, Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Muskogean-speaking populations over long periods of time.

Many earlier occupation layers throughout Horry County and coastal South Carolina predate these later tribal identities.

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

pproximate Indigenous Timeline of the Region

Paleo-Indian Period

Approximately 12,000 BC to 8000 BC

The earliest known peoples entered the Southeast near the end of the Ice Age, hunting large game and occupying portions of what would eventually become coastal Carolina.

Archaic Period

Approximately 8000 BC to 1000 BC

As sea levels stabilized and coastal ecosystems formed, Indigenous populations increasingly occupied rivers, swamps, estuaries, and shellfish-rich coastal areas.

During this era, long-term shell midden accumulation began appearing throughout portions of the southeastern coast.

Some South Carolina shell midden and shell ring sites date roughly between 2500 BC and 1000 BC.

Woodland Period

Approximately 1000 BC to AD 1000

The Woodland Period saw widespread pottery production, increasingly organized fishing settlements, expanded trade networks, and continued shell midden development throughout coastal South Carolina.

Much of the pottery discovered throughout the Grand Strand region is associated with Woodland Period cultures.

Mississippian and Protohistoric Influences

Approximately AD 1000 to European Contact

Larger regional tribal societies developed throughout the Southeast prior to European arrival, with extensive trade and interaction networks connecting inland and coastal peoples.

Shell Middens and Ancient Shell Deposits

One of the clearest signs of prehistoric coastal occupation in the southeastern United States is the shell midden.

Shell middens are long-term accumulations of:

These deposits formed gradually through repeated human activity over generations or centuries.

In some locations, shell middens eventually formed elevated shell ridges or mound-like formations through long-term accumulation.

The shell deposits observed near Withers Swash resemble broader shell midden formations documented throughout coastal South Carolina and the southeastern United States.

Similar Indigenous shell deposits and habitation evidence have been documented at Waites Island near Little River and elsewhere along Long Bay.

Pottery and Artifact Discoveries

Over time, pottery fragments and other materials have periodically been discovered near the property through ordinary residential activity and surface observation.

Many prehistoric coastal pottery vessels in South Carolina were hand-built and low-fired in open hearths or pits rather than modern kilns.

To strengthen the clay during firing and cooking, Indigenous potters commonly added:

into the clay as tempering material.

Researchers and individuals familiar with regional pottery traditions have suggested that fragments observed near Withers Swash resemble multiple known southeastern ceramic traditions associated with:

Regional pottery traditions throughout coastal South Carolina include:

Without formal laboratory testing or excavation, exact identification and dating of individual fragments remains uncertain. However, the material appears broadly consistent with prehistoric coastal occupation patterns documented throughout the Grand Strand region.

No commercial excavation is being conducted on the property. The observations described here involve surface finds and incidental discoveries associated with ordinary residential activity.

Morrow Mountain Point Discovery

One of the most significant artifacts discovered near Swash Manor was a Morrow Mountain Type I projectile point — a triangular stone point with a contracting stem associated with the Archaic Period of the southeastern United States.

Morrow Mountain points are commonly linked to Indigenous peoples living throughout portions of the Carolinas thousands of years ago, with many examples dating broadly between approximately 3000 BC and 5000 BC depending on site context and regional variation.

The point discovered at Swash Manor was found approximately 14 to 24 inches below ground level, lodged within the roots of a large cypress tree near Withers Swash.

The discovery adds to the broader pattern of shell deposits, pottery fragments, and other material observed in the area, suggesting repeated Indigenous activity along this portion of the Myrtle Beach coastline long before modern development.

While no formal archaeological excavation has been conducted on the property, the environmental setting beside Withers Swash — combined with the artifact material periodically recovered there — appears consistent with known prehistoric coastal occupation patterns documented throughout South Carolina.

The presence of a Morrow Mountain point may indicate extremely early human activity in the area dating back several thousand years into the Archaic Period.

The Pee Dee People

The Pee Dee people were among the Indigenous groups historically associated with the Pee Dee River region of present-day South Carolina. Skilled agriculturalists, they cultivated crops, hunted, fished, and used the Pee Dee River as an important transportation and trade route connecting neighboring communities throughout the Southeast.

Archaeological evidence throughout the Pee Dee region suggests that some Indigenous communities constructed burial mounds and ceremonial earthworks along portions of the river system, several of which still survive today.

When English colonists began settling near Charleston in the late seventeenth century, the Pee Dee initially maintained trade and diplomatic relations with European settlers. Like many Indigenous peoples throughout the Southeast, however, they suffered devastating population losses from introduced European diseases.

Despite these hardships, the Pee Dee adapted to changing colonial conditions through trade, alliances, and participation in regional conflicts. During the early eighteenth century, South Carolina colonists enlisted Pee Dee warriors during the Tuscarora War of 1711–1713. Indigenous groups throughout the region also became involved in the Yemassee War of 1715–1717, one of the largest Native uprisings in colonial South Carolina.

By the 1730s, European settlement increasingly expanded into areas that later became Marion, Marlboro, and Dillon Counties. Over time, Indigenous communities faced growing pressure from land loss, warfare, disease, legal discrimination, and cultural displacement.

Historical records from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries often misclassified surviving Native communities under labels such as “Mulatto,” “Croatan,” “free persons of color,” or other racial categories imposed by colonial and later state governments. Many modern descendants and tribal historians argue these classifications obscured the continued existence and identity of Pee Dee descendants rather than reflecting true extinction.

Today, members of the Pee Dee Indian Tribe and related Pee Dee descendant communities continue preserving their heritage, traditions, genealogy, and historical identity in South Carolina, particularly near Cheraw and McColl.

Community traditions also remember periods of mutual support and generosity during regional hardships, including assistance provided to local residents following major hurricanes such as Hugo and Andrew.

Modern Tribal Recognition in South Carolina

Although many Indigenous cultures and tribal identities of the Carolinas were dramatically disrupted by colonization, disease, warfare, forced migration, and cultural assimilation, Native American communities continue preserving their heritage and identity throughout South Carolina today.

Of South Carolina’s Native American groups, only the Catawba Indian Nation is federally recognized by the United States government. However, South Carolina officially recognizes multiple additional tribes, organizations, and Indigenous communities through the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs.

State-recognized Native American entities in South Carolina include:

For a complete and updated list of officially recognized Native American entities in South Carolina, visit the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs Native American Affairs Division.

The Waccamaw Indian People

The The Waccamaw Indian People hold a particularly important place in the history of Horry County and the Grand Strand region.

The Waccamaw Indian People became one of the earliest tribal entities officially recognized through South Carolina’s modern state recognition process. Their recognition was acknowledged through the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs and related state review processes involving Native American recognition within South Carolina.

Today, the Waccamaw Indian People continue preserving and promoting Indigenous history, genealogy, traditions, and cultural identity associated with the Waccamaw region of coastal South Carolina.

Official tribal information can be found at the Waccamaw Indian People Official Website.

Pee Dee Indian Tribe of South Carolina

The Pee Dee Indian Tribe continues preserving the heritage and identity of Pee Dee descendants in South Carolina.

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

A Coastline Older Than Myrtle Beach

The modern coastline of Myrtle Beach differs greatly from the ancient environment experienced by the region’s earliest inhabitants.

Over thousands of years:

Some ancient occupation sites are now submerged beneath coastal waters or buried beneath layers of sediment and development.

Elevated ridges beside tidal waterways often became recurring habitation zones because they provided relatively stable ground, transportation access, and food resources.

The location of Swash Manor beside Withers Swash fits the broader environmental pattern associated with known Indigenous occupation sites throughout coastal South Carolina.

From Ancient Settlement to Modern Myrtle Beach

Long after the earliest Indigenous peoples occupied the area, the land surrounding Withers Swash continued to play an important role in the development of the Grand Strand.

The area later became connected to:

Swash Manor, constructed during the 1920s and recognized as the oldest surviving residence within the city limits of Myrtle Beach, stands within this layered historical environment.

The property’s location beside historic Withers Swash and across from Withers Memorial Cemetery creates a direct physical connection between prehistoric Indigenous occupation, colonial-era settlement, early Myrtle Beach history, and the modern city that exists today.

Few remaining locations within Myrtle Beach preserve this degree of historical continuity.

Preservation and Respect

The Indigenous history of the Grand Strand represents one of the oldest chapters in the story of Myrtle Beach.

Much of the region’s prehistoric archaeological landscape has been permanently altered or lost through:

Sites associated with shell middens, pottery, fishing camps, and ancient habitation deserve respectful preservation and continued historical study.

The purpose of documenting these observations at Swash Manor is educational and historical — helping preserve awareness of the ancient Indigenous history that existed along Withers Swash thousands of years before the modern resort city emerged around it.

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

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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