Colonial
Dorchester State Historic Site
300 State Park Road
Summerville, SC 29485
843.873-7475
We
invite you and your students to visit our park and participate
in an educational program at Colonial Dorchester State Historic
Site. Colonial
Dorchester preserves and interprets the archaeological site
of a village founded in 1697. For nearly one hundred years
Dorchester prospered as an inland trade center. Several generations
of South Carolinians, free and slave, lived and worked in
the homes and shops that lined Dorchester’s streets.
Evidence of the affluence of the village can still be seen
today. A fort built during the French and Indian War stands
guard over the Ashley River and is the best-preserved example
of Tabby fort construction in the nation. The brick bell tower
of St. George’s Anglican Church looms over the graveyard
in what was once the center of the village. Beneath the surface
lie remains of the village in an archaeological record that
spans much of South Carolina’s early history. Today
archaeologists are examining that rich record and historians
are delving into documents that put color into the picture
of life in colonial South Carolina. Colonial Dorchester is
listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
We
encourage you to experience the park by participating in one
of the following Discover Carolina programs. Pre-site, on-site
and post-site lesson plans have been developed to ensure a
quality educational experience for you and your students.
Park
Interpreter Led Programs:
A Sense of Place
Students
will learn the process of discovery through archaeology. By
investigating the social, economic and material history of
the site, students gain an understanding of a colonial town
and the interaction of its citizens as a community.
Grade Level: 3
Length of Time: 4.25 hours
Social Studies Standards: 3-2, 3-2.6
Science Standards: 3-1.1
Language Arts –
Writing Standards: 3-5.3
Setting: State Historic Site
A Town at the Edge of the Atlantic World: Dorchester in Carolina
Students will analyze archaeological and historical records
of selected lots at Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site.
Students will complete a series of lot-specific guided
activities that are based on the pre-site activities. These
activities will deepen student understanding of colonial
South Carolina history and South Carolina’s place in the
Atlantic World.
Grade Level: 9-11
Length of Time: 1 to 1.5 hours
Social Studies Standards: GS 3, 3.1 and 3.2; USHC-1
Setting: State Historic Site
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