The Horry County Museum will host a lecture by George Wingard, from the Savannah River Archaeological Research Program (SRARP), on December 8th at 1:00 PM. Mr. Wingard will discuss the discovery of an alkaline-glazed stoneware vessel created by the enslaved potter Dave of Edgefield, South Carolina and discovered/excavated by the SRARP. He will also highlight its uses assisting with public outreach and discussing the importance of history and archaeology. A viewing of the film Discovering Dave: Spirit Captured in Clay will take place following the lecture.
George Wingard joined the SRARP staff in 1993 with a B.A. in Humanities from the University of South Carolina. He is now the Program Coordinator and oversees the budgets, personnel and daily administration. The SRARP is a division of the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA) which is a department of the University of South Carolina. The SRARP is located on the Savannah River Site (SRS) a Department of Energy (DOE) facility straddling Aiken, Barnwell, and Allendale counties.
George’s area of interests is the historic towns and remnant cemeteries located on the SRS, eighteenth and nineteenth century stoneware of the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA), and the mill village of Graniteville, founded by textile giant William Gregg. George is also the co-producer of the documentary Discovering Dave: Spirit Captured in Clay detailing the life and times of the enslaved Edgefield, South Carolina Potter David Drake. The film has been screened throughout the United States and is being used as a teaching aid at several universities. Most recently Wingard aided in identifying a quilt in the collections of the University of South Carolina at Aiken as having been created by Marina Gregg, William Gregg’s wife. The only other example of her quilt work is housed at the Charleston Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. Wingard recently finished a documentary about the former SRS community of Hawthorne and two of its last living residents visiting their former home place. The film is entitled “Reconstructing Hawthorne.”
For more information, and to view a list of upcoming programs at the Horry County Museum, call 843-915-5320 or visit our website at www.horrycountymuseum.org.