Historical Archaeology in Georgia

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA LABORATORY OF ARCHAEOLOGY SERIES REPORT NUMBER 39 HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY IN GEORGIA 1. W. JOSEPH, THERESA M. HAMBY AND CATHERINE S. LONG NEW SOUTH ASSOCIATES ATHENS GEORGIA ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH DESIGN PAPER NO. 14 2004 GARDPAPERS Georgia Archaeological Research Design Papers are dedicated to the publication of Archaeological Contexts within Georgia's Comprehensive Plan for preservation and protection of its archaeological resources. Each paper within the monograph series synthesizes and evaluates information about a specific archaeological period and environmental area of the state, then offers recommendations about future research and' management needs. Manuscript preparation is aided by National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund Grants administered by the Historic Preservation Section of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The Papers are distributed by the Laboratory of Archaeology, University of Georgia. Each Paper may be ordered from the Publications Secretary, Department of Anthropology, Baldwin Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602. Morgan R. Crook, Jf. Managing Editor, GARD Papers i I ! I University of West Georgia Georgia Archaeological Research Design Papers No.1 Mississippi Period Archaeology of the Georgia Coastal Zone, by Morgan R. Gt~ok, 1986 (out of print) / No.2 Mississippi Period Archaeology of the Georgia Piedmont, by David J. HaJly and , t James L. Rudolph, 1986 (out of print) ,,! No.3 Mississippi Period Archaeology of the Georgia Coastal Zone, by Frank T. Schnell and Newell O. Wright, Jr., 1992 " I No.4 Mississippi Period Archaeology of the Georgia Ridge and Valley Province, by David ,J. Hally and James B. Langford, 1988 ' / No.5 Mississippi Period Archaeology of the Georgia Coastal Zone, by Jack 11. Wynn, 1990 No. 6 Paleoindian Period Archaeology of Georgia, by David G. Anderson, R. Jerald Ledbetter and LisaD. O'Steen, 1990, !i No.7 Historic Period Indian Archaeology of Northern Georgia, by Marvin T. Smith, 1992 " f No. 8 Historic Period Indian Archaeology of the Georgia CoastallZeme, by David H. Thomas, 1992 I No.9 Woodland Period Archaeology of Northern Georgia, by W. Dean Wood and William R. Bowen, 1995 / No.·10 Historic Period Indian Archaeology of the Georgia Coastal'Plain, by Chad O. Braley, 1995 / No. 11 Archaic Period Archaeology of the Georgia Coastal 'plain and Coastal Zone, by Daniel T. Elliott and Kenneth E. Sassman, 1995 /' No. 12 Woodland Period Archaeology of the Georgia Coastal,Plain, by Karl T. Stienen, 1995 No. 13 Archaic Period Archaeology of North Georgia, by William T. Stanyard, 2002 No. 14 Historical Archaeology in Georgia, by J. W. Joseph, Theresa M. Hamby and Catherine S. Long, 2004 /. II / ' I· 1/," JiI I ;~I ·,.ft . I Historical Archaeology in Georgia University of Georgia Laboratory of Archaeology Series Report Number 39 Georgia Archaeological Research Design Paper No. 14 J. W. Joseph, Theresa M. Hamby, and Catherine S. Long New South Associates, Inc. Stone Mountain, Georgia Prepared for the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources Funding provided by the Georgia Department of Transportation in Cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration September 2004 Preface Georgia Department of Natural Resources Noel Holcomb, Commissioner Historic Preservation Division w. Ray Luce, Division Director and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer 47 Trinity Ave SW Suite 414-H, Atlanta, Georgia 30334 Telephone (404) 656~2840 Fax (404) 657-1040 http://www.gashpo.org The Georgia Archaeological Research Design (GARD) Papers have been dedicated to the publication of Archaeological Contexts within Georgia's Comprehensive Plan for the preservation and protection of its archaeological resources (Crook 1986). Ably edited by Morgan R. Crook, Jr. of the State University of West Georgia, the GARD Papers have served as an invaluable resource to both local and out-of-state archaeologists working on research and Section 106 projects. This GARD Paper departs from the usual format in that it includes the full range of environmental zones and temporal periods, rather than focusing on one period and environmental zone. This is a factor simply of a generous funding opportunity provided by the Georgia Department of Transportation in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, rather than a programmatic change in the GARD series. It is anticipated that future GARD Papers will adhere to the original spatial/temporal framework developed by Dr. Crook and his colleagues. I appreciate the research that J. W. Joseph, Theresa Hamby, and Catherine Long have carried out in order to complete this joint project of the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. It is a bold document in that it attempts (per the Scope of Work developed by DOT and DNR) to provide a comprehensive overview of historic period settlement, thus fulfilling conte.xts 31-36 in the original Archaeological Research Design (Crook 1986). Like the other contexts in this series, Historical Archaeology in Georgia intends to provide both a thorough grounding in current knowledge, as well as provide guidance to researchers who must address issues of management and National Register of Historic Places eligibility. It succeeds very well in both of those primary goals. That said, as the authors acknowledge, the document should be seen as a starting-point, rather than an end-point, to understanding Georgia's historical archaeology. Certain aspects of the document are particularly strong. Chapter III, Culture History, is short, but cites the major secondary sources, as well as some primary document sources. Chapter IV, Inventory of Known Historical Archaeology Sites, points out some gaping lacunae in our knowledge. For instance, industrial sites outside the metro Atlanta, Columbus, and Augusta areas are few and far between. Similarly, military sites are scanty (except where Sherman passed through!). Chapter V (Historical Archaeology Site Types) is perhaps the most exhaustive. Strongly functional in orientation, it is especially exhaustive in its discussion of agrarian, community, and European-Native American interaction sites. A summary of major research on each site type is followed by suggestions for further research and brief discussions of issues associated with National Register eligibility for each type. ! , '( Chapter VI, (Standar9 Frame of Reference) provides guidelines for field research and lab analysis. Here the emphasis is less on artifact type definitions (which should be known to any qualified researcher) than on process-oriented questions. Chapter VI is, with Chapter V, the crux of the document. While relatively brief, it presents discussion of an issue common to State Historic Preservation Office technical reviewers across the country: assertions in Phase II reports that a site is "eligible" because it exhibits integrity. Integrity alone is not enough to justify an eligibility determination; rather, eligibility hinges on the information potential exhibited by the site with regard to specific research questions. Too many Phase II reports lack a well-grounded, explicit, and current research design for data recovery excavations, both here in Georgia and throughout the SHPO system. This document should help remedy that situation, at least with regard to some of the more problematical site types. Dr. David Colin Crass State Archaeologist ( , I, , ,I 11 Acknowledgements The preparation of this context for historical archaeology in Georgia was very much a collaborative effort between the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Department of Transportation, the state's archaeological community, and New South Associates. It is impossible to recognize all of the people who have contributed to this effort, but it would not have been possible without the assistance of other archaeologists who have worked with Georgia's historic past. At the beginning of the project we published announcements and mailed requests for project information to the professional archaeologists working in the state. The response was excellent and it is through the contributions and information provided that this context could be written. The assistance and cooperation of the members of the archaeological community in Georgia are hopefully recognized by the citations of their work in the References Cited. The research, development, and organization of this context were the product of a series of team meetings. In addition to New South Associates' Principal Investigator, Dr. J. W. Joseph, the project team consisted of Dr. Rowe Bowen, Director of the Cultural Resources Program at the Georgia Department of Transportation; Eric Duff, Chief I Archaeologist with the Georgia DOT; Dr. David Colin Crass, State Archaeologist of I Georgia and head of the Historic Preservation Division's Archaeology Section; and Bob I Entorf, HPD Archaeologist and Project Manager. All deserve recognition as spiritual co / authors of this study. Rowe's long tenure as a historical archaeologist in the state produced constant benefits in references to projects long forgotten. He is also thanked / for coordinating the project's schedule and funding. Eric provided a wealth of information and documentation on recent and on-going projects of the GDOT and also proved to be a keen-eyed editor of various drafts. Additional editorial review was provided by GDOT Archaeologists Jim Pomfret

Load more