ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL INVESTIGATION OB THE OGEECHEE ROAD BRIDGE OVER THE SPRINGBIELD CANALS, CITY OB SAVANNAH, CHATHAM COUNTI, GEORGIA CHICORA RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION 293 © 2001 by Chicora Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or transcribed in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recon:Jlng, or otherWise without prior permission of Chicora Foundation, Inc. except for brief quotations.used In reviews. Full credit must be given to the authors, pubrisher, and project sponsor. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE OGEECHEE ROAD BRIDGE OVER THE SPRINGFIELD CANAL, CITY OF SAVANNAH, CHATHAM COUNTY, GEORGIA Prepared By: Michael Trinkley, Ph.D. Prepared For: Mr. Ray Pittman, PE Thomas and Hutton Engineering Company PO Box 14609 Savannah, GA 31416 Chicora Foundation Research Series 293 Chicora Foundation, Inc. PO Box 8664 • 861 Arbutus Drive Columbia, South Carolina 29202-8664 803/787-6910 Email: [email protected] April 17, 2000 This report ll; prinled on permanent paper oo ABSTRACT Th;. study reports on both documentary temporarily shored the south side up using metal panels. research and field 8UIVey associated with the replacement of the Ogeechee Road bridge over the While this iB a type of structure not frequently Springfield Canal on the southwestern edge of !he City encountered, it is not recommended eligible for of Savannah. This project is part of the Springfield inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, Canal Drainage ImprovementE Project currently being based on the Criteria for HU;torical Signili.canC< of planned by the City of Savannah. The project would Bridges, developed by the Historic Preservation Section, replace the existing bridge, a small brick culvert, remove Georgia Deparbnent of Natural Resources. a nearby modem house, and create a grassed maintenance roadway adjacent to the canal. The work The archaeological investigations reveal that was conducted to assist Thomas and Hutton the structures northwest of the bridge, now demolished, EI1!1ineering Company and the City of Savannah left behind an assortment of twentieth century comply with Section 106 of the National Historic archaeological remains, including nails, window glass, Preservation Act and the regulatioru codified in coal, and brick rubble. While the quantities of remains 36CFRSOO. are dense, the variety is very limited. Moreover, all of the identified materials appear to have been deposited The research included a historical overview of within the past 40 to 50 years. Although these remains the Springfield Canal. The field investigations included are vecy recent, they were a!lsigned the archaeological limited shovel testing in the area where an exisliil!I site number 9CH907. They are not, however, house foundation is to be removed. The work was recommended eligible for inclUBion on the National limited to the immediate bridge area. Register of HIBtoric Places. The historical research reveals that Ogeechee Finally, it is possible that archaeological Road was paved with shell until 1909 when the shell was remains may be encountered in the corridor during replaced with gravel. Through about 1920 the bridge construction. Construction crews should be advised to was wood and the roadway remained graveled. The area, report any discoveries of concentrations of artifacts at the edge of Savannah, received little attention and (such as bottles, ceramics, or projeciJe paints) or brick there is, as a result, little documentation. The period rubble to the project engineer, who should in tum report from the 1920s through the late 1950s iB one of even the material to the State Historic Preservation Office more limited municipal reports. We have been unable to or to Chicora Foundation (the process of dealing with determine when the brick culvert was constructed, but late discoveries iB discusoed in 36CFR800.13(b)(3)). it seems to have been sometime between about 1920 No construction should take place in the vicinity of and 1940. these late discoveries until they have been examined by an archaeologist and, if necessary, have been processed The culvert iB a brick arch, about 13-inches ae<:ording to 36CFRS00.13(b)(3). thick, joined by 13-inch thick headwalls, laid in American bond. The culvert f;]] is soJ on the sides and clay under the 7-incb thick concrete roadway with a central expansion joint. More recently 1112-inches of asphalt have been laid over the concrete deck. The south headwall b., detached from the arch, likely a result of heavy loads causing foundation collapse. The City has TABLE OF CONTENTS LIBt of figureB iv List of Tables iv Acknowledgments v Introduction 1 The Environment of the City 5 Pl1ysiograp/1ic Area 5 Soils and Geology 5 C/;,nate and Healt/1 6 Ffor2sfics 7 Prehistoric and Historic Ovetview 9 Previous Work 9 Pre/zistoric Synop3is 9 A Brief Wstory of t/ie City and Pro;.ct Area 19 Research Method. 29 Introduction 29 Site Evaluation 29 Field Methods 31 Laboratory Met/1ods 31 findings 33 11.e Arcl1aeo/ogica/ Survey 33 Arc/zitectural Assessn1ents 34 Summary and Recommendations 39 Sour= Cited 41 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Vicinity of the proposed bridge replacement 1 2. Vicinity of the proposed projecl in Chatham County 2 3. Cultural periods for the Georgia coastal region 10 4. Portion of the 1888 Sugden and Howard Map of th. City of Savannah 25 5. Portion of the 1910 Map oft/,. City of Savam1a/1 showing the project area 26 6. Portion of the 1961 Atlas of Laural Grow showing the project area 27 7. Location of the identified site in the projeot area 34 8. Standing house and general bridge area 35 9. North wall of the brick arch culvert 35 10. South wall of the brick arch culvert 36 11. Interim of the arched culvert 36 12. Plan and profile drawings of the Ogeechee Road bridge over the Springfield Canal 37 LIST OF TABLES 1. Georgia's Critrna for Historical Significance of Bridges 30 iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .We want to thank Mr. Ray Pittman with Don Atwell, Storm Waters; and Ms. Cindy White, Thomas and Hutton for his mterest m the heritage of Engineering were all cooperative in our search for the project area and concern that the project be additional information aonceming the project area. conducted in a sensitive manner. We also appreciate his LlkeWise, we appreciate the assistance of the Georgia continued confidence in Chicora and our efforts to Department of T ransporlation, including Mr. Robert preserve and proteol: the heritage of the region. Brown with the District Construction Engineer's Office in Savannah and Mr. Brian Summers, with Bridge A numher of mdividuals have assisted m the Inspection in A±lanla . .A. always, the staff and archlviels course of this study, including several associated with at the Georgia Historical Society were very generous in the City of Savannah. We want to thank Ms. Glenda their time, searching out important materials for. And AnderBOn, the Director of the City's Archives and finally, we appreciate the assistance of the staff at the Library. She took considerable time and effort to help Georgia State Archaeological Site files for their us not only explore for plans and maps, but to also assistance and ti1nely resporue to our request for a site explam the resources which might be available. Mr. number. Mike Whmner, Savannab Traffic Engineering; Mr. v INTRODUCTION This intensive archaeological survey of the that its Original drainage, much less its original proposed Ogeechee Road bridge replacement in topography, is only barely discernable. Chatham County was conducted by Dr. Michael T rink!ey of Chicora Foundation, Inc. for Mr. Ray The City of Savannah, as part of it; Drainage Pittman of Thomas and Hutton Enginee-rs in Improvements project for the Springfield Canal, intends Savannah, Georgia. The work was conducted to assist to remove an existing structure at this location; wideri Thomas and Hutton and their client, the City of the canal, recut the banks, and replace the existing Savannah, comply with Section 106 of the National bridge, Landscape alteration, primarily clearing, tfutoric Preservation Act and the regulations codified grubbing, and grading, as well as the rer!10val of the in 36CFR800. We understand that eventually thie existing bridge and subsequent construction of a new project will require an Army Corps of Engineers permit. bridge, will cause considerable damage to the ground surface and any archaeological resour-ce~ which may he The project site comists of the iinmediate area present in the survey area. The work will also d.stroy of the bridge replacement on Ogeechee Road (City the existing bridge. Street 188) over the Springfield Canal (sometimes called the MiniB Canal, as discussed below). The area of Thu., study, however, does not. consider a~y poteatial effect (APE) is defined as the road crossing future secondary impact of the project, including and an additional 50 feel in all directions, resulting in· increased or expanded commercial or industrial a tract measuring about 120 feet east-west and 130 feet developrrient of this section of Ogeeche; Road. Nor norlh-south(Figure 1). This project is situated on the does it consider any of the other components of the southwestern fringe of the City of Savannah in north project outside the narrowly defined APE. central Chath•m County, Georgia (Figure 2). It is situated in a mixed urban and -r~idential axea with heavy traffic on Ogeechee Road and nearby Victory Drive. The study tract consists of a generally level area dominated by the Springfield .hainage canal, Ogeechee Road, one standing hoUEe, and a series of grassed yard areas. While the area is generally low and poorly drained, it has been so dramatically affected by modern development igure 1. Vicinity of the proposed bridge replacement, view to the east.