Archaeologist David Jones

David Jones knew he wanted to be an archaeologist from the moment he set foot in his first college anthropology class. “I never really looked back after that,” he said.

Jones serves as an archaeologist in the South Carolina State Park Service’s central office, and is responsible for much of the oversight in the excavations at Hampton Plantation, Colonial Dorchester and Charles Towne Landing state historic sites. He also ensures that improvements to state park property are in compliance with the federal and state regulations designed to protect archaeological resources.

Archaeological work is ongoing at state historic sites and excavation processes can be long and tedious. Jones says one of the greatest satisfactions of his job is being able to finally gather enough information from a site to make reasonable conclusions as to who may have once occupied the site and how they might have lived.

Jones says dedicating a significant portion of time on one site, while knowing how much rich archaeological history exists in other parks can sometimes be frustrating. However, dedication and perseverance doesn’t go unrewarded in David’s field.

One of the most exciting finds Jones has been a part of was the discovery of a small, flat disc made of copper alloy and plated with 24 karat gold, believed to be a pocket watch cover.

Jones, a North Carolina native, currently resides in Columbia, South Carolina and has worked with South Carolina State Parks for 12 years. He received his BA in Anthropology/Biology from UNC-Wilmington, and his MA in Biological Anthropology from the University of Tennessee.