Between November 2012 and June 2013 Georgia Southern University conducted an archaeological investigation into the Cluskey Embankment Stores (9CH1352) on behalf of the City of Savannah, Georgia. The project was first initiated by the Earl T. Shinhoster Youth Leadership Institute over a concern of how the vaults were being used. Members of the Shinhoster organization went before City Council and proposed an archaeological investigation of the Vaults. The City Council supported to the proposal and the City’s Research Library & Municipal Archives contacted Dr. Sue Moore of Georgia Southern University to conduct an archaeological investigation of the site. The Cluskey Embankment Stores are located on Factor’s Walk just east of City Hall in Savannah, Georgia. There are a total of five vaults with four open and a fifth vault bricked up and sealed. The research goal was to determine what the vaults were used for and if they were, in fact, utilized as slave holding facilities. The scope of work conducted on the vaults included extensive archival research, LiDAR scanning, GPR scanning, and excavation units in all four open vaults with a reconnaissance into the fifth vault. All of these tasks were led by Dr. Sue Moore and Blake Ayala
