Defining frame slave cabins at the Thomas Spalding Plantation, Sapelo Island, Georgia

Two field seasons of survey-level research at the Spalding Plantation on Sapelo Island, Georgia have been devoted to locating wood frame slave cabins. Shown on an 1857 map, these structures are difficult to recognize archaeologically due to the scarcity of definitive architectural remains; in essence, no foundation elements survive when wooden frame cabins are set on blocks of wood, tabby, or brick that are robbed after the cabins are abandoned. However, indirect evidence for the presence of cabins may take the form of nail distributions that occur in an inversely spatial relationship with secondary refuse discard at this site: nails would be expected to mark the former cabin locations, and middens should occur adjacent to, rather than in, the cabin footprints. Using GIS, such spatial signatures have been tentatively identified on Sapelo Island.https://scholar.utc.edu/archaeology-reports/1013/thumbnail.jp

Gender, family composition, and social mobility at Fort Frederica, Georgia, 1736 - c. 1750

More complete documentary information on the identity of residents of the British colonial town of Frederica has allowed revised interpretations of the archaeological record there. Two tightly controlled excavations in the town reveal contrasts in site structure, refuse disposal practices, faunal remains, and material culture from 1736-c. 1750. The Hird site, dating from 1736 to 1748, was occupied by a husband, wife, and their three children (a son and two daughters); the Forrester site, c. 1742-1754, is attributed to a (presumably) solitary adult male. This paper explores the possible gender, family composition, and social mobility dimensions of the archaeological contrasts in addition to spatial and temporal factors affecting these sites.https://scholar.utc.edu/archaeology-reports/1006/thumbnail.jp

Working plantations on Sapelo Island : High Point versus Chocolate

Back-to-back archaeological surveys on Sapelo Island, Georgia by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga have concentrated on two sites: a substantial, intensively occupied plantation dating primarily to the first half of the 19th century (Chocolate) and an earlier, sporadically occupied operation that included a short-lived French component (High Point). This paper compares the archaeological manifestations of slave occupations at both sites and identifies distinct material contrasts between the slave assemblages. It is primarily in terms of architectural and ceramic characteristics that different living conditions for the two groups are most clearly indicated.https://scholar.utc.edu/archaeology-reports/1012/thumbnail.jp

An archaeological-historical summary of the Fortwood Historic District

https://scholar.utc.edu/archaeology-reports/1082/thumbnail.jp

Archaeological testing at 40HA84, Audubon Acres, Chattanooga, Tennessee

During May and June of 1993 and 1994, a UTC field school conducted test excavations at 40HA84 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Sixty square meters of surface area were screened using 1/4- inch mesh, resulting in the discovery of 40 prehistoric features extending below the plow zone. Several postholes and other features contained 13769 prehistoric artifacts, while the plow zone contained 21704 artifacts. The vast majority of these remains are associated with the late Mississippian period. Two historic glass beads and one clay bead were found in the plow zone, while a single clay bead was recovered from a shallow rectangular pit containing exclusively shell tempered ceramics. According to Marvin Smith, these beads have 16th-century attributions, although they are also found in later contexts. Features included a small clay hearth, 32 postholes, several miscellaneous pits, and three burials (one of which had been partially looted) that were filled primarily with large burned daub fragments and charcoal. One burial pit also contained two Madison projectile points, dating to the Dallas or Mouse Creek periods, while an apparent undisturbed burial pit produced several human deciduous teeth. These features are believed to represent infant/juvenile internments in the interior of a late prehistoric winter house, as they are enclosed by an incomplete line of post holes. Additional research is needed to determine the full size and shape of the structure formed by the postholes and daub concentrations, and to enlarge the systematically collected artifact sample from this site. The discovery of extensive amounts of burned daub and the absence of a rebuilding phase for this structure indicate that it was abandoned after it burned. Together with the preponderance of late prehistoric ceramic and lithic artifact types and the four beads that probably date to the last half of the 16th century, this constitutes indirect support for Charles Hudson\u27s (1988) identification of 40HA84 as the Napochie village that was attacked and burned by a combined force of Coosa warriors and a contingent of the Luna expedition in 1560.https://scholar.utc.edu/archaeology-reports/1051/thumbnail.jp

On the river\u27s edge: prehistoric occupations on the Heritage Place Tract, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The history of human habitation In the Tennessee River Valley is characterized by a tremendous temporal span and by a remarkable variety. Archaeologists and historians have established a more or less continuous occupation in this area over several millenia. This continuity Is not by chance; several environmental factors have made the valley attractive to both prehistoric end historic occupants. However, a common thread that links the diverse populations and cultural traditlons together, from the hunting end gathering adaptations of six to seven thousands yeers ago, to the industrial adaptations of today, Is the Tennessee River. Although Its importance to the modern occupants of the valley may have waned in recent years, there has been a renewal of interest that promises to result, once agaIn, in a river orientation of sustained human habitation and use. One manifestation of the emerging river focus is the development of housing projects directly adjacent to the river. An ambitious development proposed by the Stone Fort Land Company of Chattanooga Is currently underway on the north bank of the Tennessee River which will transform 93 acres of farm land Into a large condominium complex. Known as Heritage PIace, this privately-financed project should considerably enhance the area\u27s economic development as well as contributing to the revitalization of downtown Chattanooga. But, as this report documents, there are also unanticipated costs associated with this development. These costs cannot be measured In a monetary sense, because they consist of prehistoric remains present in the archaeological record at Heritage PIace. Nevertheless, these costs are real, and they directly concern all of us who live and work in the Chattanooga community. It is hoped that, at the very least, this report will stimulate consideration and discussion of the costs as well as the benefits of future developments along the river\u27s edge.https://scholar.utc.edu/archaeology-reports/1086/thumbnail.jp

Landscape archaeology at the Doak House

The Doak House Museum is housed in an impressive brick structure located on the campus of Tusculum College in Greene County, Tennessee. Built about 1829-30, this large two-story mansion was owned until the mid-1970s by descendents of the Samuel W. Doak family, the original occupants. Doak was a minister and pioneer educator in east Tennessee who, with his father, established Tusculum Academy (later College) in 1818 (Fuhrmann 1986:43). Samuel W. Doak built a second academy adjacent to his residence in 1835; oral tradition has it that this restored wooden building sits on its original limestone foundations (George Collins: personal communication) approximately 41 m south of the house. A restored springhouse about 60.5 m east of the academy building is the third extant structure associated with the antebellum Doak occupation; its construction date is unknown. The Tusculum College Department of Museum Program and Studies operates the Doak House Museum. Current plans by the College call for extensive modifications to the grounds surrounding the Doak House, including new parking lots, roadways, landscaping, and additional utilities. As part of the planning process, George Collins, the Department’s Director, felt it would be useful to have an archaeological survey undertaken prior to any alterations to the property. The goals of the survey were to identify historic fence lines, roadways, outbuildings, and other landscape elements on the property in order to avoid destroying significant archaeological resources and to guide future restoration efforts. Collins contacted the Jeffrey L. Brown Institute of Archaeology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and it was agreed that the UTC summer archaeological field school would be held at the site during the spring of 2003. Through outside grants and the support of Tusculum College, the Doak House Museum provided housing and a modest stipend for the field school students. Fieldwork occurred from May 7 through June 5, 2003, with a crew of eight students supervised by Dr. Nicholas Honerkamp, Director of the Institute of Archaeology. This 21-day project generated 15 pages of typed field notes, several plan view maps, over 300 digital field photos (including several dozen provided by the Doak House Museum), and 87 bags of artifacts. Cleaning, classification and analysis of the 8848 artifacts generated by this project occurred during June, July, and August at the UTC Institute of Archaeology laboratory under the direct supervision of the author. Report preparation was undertaken in August and September of 2003 and involved approximately 200 person-hours. Besides the present report, a PowerPoint presentation on the results of the archaeological research was given by the author at Tusculum College on September 29, 2003.https://scholar.utc.edu/archaeology-reports/1016/thumbnail.jp

Searching for Geechee footprints: plantation research on Ossabaw Island, Georgia

According to documentary records, the North End Plantation on Ossabaw Island, Georgia (9CH1062) has been occupied for over two and a half centuries. Archaeological testing and GPR survey in 2005 and 2007 demonstrated the substantial archaeological potential of the site’s various plantation occupations. However, basic spatial, temporal, and functional parameters at the North End have not been fully established. By focusing on the Geechee components, a 2011 archaeological survey resulted in an overall model of the site’s structure through time. Besides discussing the survey results, this paper examines the efficacy of the survey strategy used for identifying plantation occupations on Ossabaw and other coastal Georgia sites.https://scholar.utc.edu/archaeology-reports/1002/thumbnail.jp

The deserving poor in colonial Georgia : elite and non-elite domestic sites at Fort Frederica, Georgia

Social differences at domestic sites in the fortified town of Frederica (1736-1750) are explored through comparisons of architecture type and location, refuse disposal practices, selected artifacts, and dietary data. Based on archival-based Relative Economic Position, three sites representing three social strata at Frederica are used for these comparisons. The results of this analysis serve as a starting point for future testing at British colonial sites possessing similar social and temporal parameters.https://scholar.utc.edu/archaeology-reports/1008/thumbnail.jp

Shiner\u27s Trench : recycling the archaeological record at Fort Frederica

Transforming a sow’s ear into a silk purse, a unique educational program has been instituted at Fort Frederica National Monument through the combined efforts of the National Park Service and the Glynn County (Georgia) School System. Following the discovery of a modern trench backfilled with colonial artifacts from previous excavations at Frederica, the National Park Service developed an educational program highlighting colonial archaeology for Glynn County fourth grade students and their teachers. The program consists of a training workshop for teachers, one day of excavation by each class, artifact analysis in the classroom, and student-designed artifact displays. The trench is virtually a renewable archaeological resource: it is scheduled to be refilled with the recently-excavated artifacts this year, and excavations will continue indefinitely. Since burying artifact collections in lieu of curation is a surprising procedure to most contemporary archaeologists, the genesis of Shiner’s Trench is reviewed in this paper. An overview of the teaching program is then presented that assesses the strengths and weaknesses of a remarkable cooperative venture in historical archaeology education.https://scholar.utc.edu/archaeology-reports/1005/thumbnail.jp