A Summary and Evaluation of Phase I Surveys on Fort Benning Military Reservation. Contract No. DABT 10-01-D-0017

Over the past three decades, researchers have conducted numerous Phase I archaeological surveys on Fort Benning, which encompasses portions of Muscogee and Chattahoochee Counties, Georgia, and Russell County, Alabama, as part of Section 106 compliance projects. Over this span of decades, archaeologists have employed a number of survey methods and site evaluation standards, not all of which remain relevant or are sufficient in light of today’s standards. Improvements and refinements to our investigative strategies and the cumulative knowledge we can now bring to bear when considering the historical significance of a site requires an evaluation of previous research conducted on the base. For these reasons, Dr. Christopher Hamilton, Cultural Resources Manager at Fort Benning, contracted Panamerican Consultants, Inc. (PCI) to complete a summary and analysis of the Phase I surveys conducted prior to July 2004.

This project entailed three primary tasks. The first was an extensive database update and verification. The geographic information systems (GIS) and other data acquired from past and current cultural resource surveys, testing, and excavations within the installation were updated, integrated, and verified in a database supplied by Fort Benning (CRARCSIT). These data were then checked for accuracy and completeness through a review of every available compliance report. Spatial data conform to the Spatial Data Standards used by Fort Benning. Additionally, metadata for existing and new spatial data layers were created.

The second task was an examination of each cultural period and phase recorded on Fort Benning. This baseline study used the verified data from the first task to describe and summarize archaeological sites by each period and phase recognized in the Integrated Cultural Resource Management Plan (ICRMP) in relation to certain geographic and environmental variables recorded at each site location. These include slope, aspect, landform, soil type, drainage, and elevation, in addition to distance to water and/or roads, and site size. Exploratory data analyses included basic statistical evaluations of these variables. Outliers beyond one standard deviation from mean values were explored. A baseline study combined every site by each specific sub-period or cultural phase. A second baseline study was then conducted by examining only those sites recommended eligible or potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). When possible, single component sites from each sub-period and phase were further explored in order to identify how multi-component sites differ from “pure” sites within certain variables.