Agricultural Extension Programs and Small Finds from Home Sites of Rural Black Leaders

Although historic stereotypes depict the South Carolina Sandhills as a backwoods of poor, White families, demographic and archaeological data evidence a diverse community. Small finds from three home sites connected to the Dunlap family challenge poverty and race-based assumptions. The Dunlap family stood out in the Sandhills as Black landowners and leaders in twentieth-century agricultural extension programs. These programs emphasized material consumption as an indication of household progress and stability. Analyzing small finds from the Dunlaps' homes within the context of the agricultural extension service reveals the impact of segregated federal programs on identity mediation.