Archaeological Studies Associated With the Nineteenth Century Owens-Thomas Carriage House, Savannah, Georgia

Built in the first quarter of the nineteenth century by the English architect William Jay, the Owens-Thomas site in downtown Savannah, Georgia resembles those of the period in London, with a main building over a basement story, garden, and stable with servant's quarters. The main house has gone through several periods of restoration and architectural study, and recently attention has turned to the carriage house. Currently architectural research and conservation studies are being conducted on the carriage house and servants' quarters. Archaeological studies have also been conducted by the Coastal Georgia Archaeological Society, although they concentrated on the eighteenth century occupation on the lot which preceded the construction of the Owens-Thomas settlement. Chicora Foundation's current study reports on archaeological investigations of the nineteenth century deposits.

Research included exploration of architectural features associated with the southern half of the structure, an area associated with carriage and animal stalls. In the north half of the structure the excavations concentrated on recovering information about slave life in the urban setting. Yard area excavations incorporated research on pathways and landscape alteration.

While these investigations were guided by a desire to produce information essential for the correct interpretation and restoration of the structure, they also permitted the exploration of questions surrounding the lives of urban slaves in the nineteenth century. This combination of sponsor- related architectural/interpretative goals and anthropological goals resulted in an exceptional exchange of information.

As one of the few urban archaeological projects undertaken in Savannah in this decade, it reaffirms the exceptional history of the city and the ability of archaeology to address major questions of importance to our understanding of that cultural and architectural history.