Between September 7, 2020 and January 20, 2021, Brockington conducted intensive Phase II archaeological testing of Site 9CH793, the remnants of the Fairlawn Plantation settlement located on the Georgia Port Authority (GPA) Garden City property in Chatham County, Georgia. The purpose of this testing was to provide definitive National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility recommendations for this site. This investigation was carried out for the GPA on behalf of Moffatt and Nichol and Sligh Environmental Consultants, Inc., Savannah, Georgia in partial fulfilment of guidelines established for Section 404 of the Clean Water Act permit.
The goal of this investigation was to further evaluate Site 9CH793. Specific objectives include refining site boundaries, collecting artifact samples, assessing the potential for intact archaeological deposits, and assessing the potential for the sites to address topics regarding past lifeways. These data were used to provide a definitive statement on the site’s NRHP eligibility. In addition, management recommendations for the site are provided for future preservation, additional research, or clearance for construction.
Based on the results of our Phase II investigation, we recommend Site 9CH793 eligible for inclusion on the NRHP. Contributing areas to the site’s NRHP eligibility include the historic cemetery and the eastern portion of the site containing the remnants of the former Fairlawn Plantation enslaved/tenant farmer settlement. These areas of the site will require additional management including protection from future development that might disturb or destroy significant archaeological deposits. We recommend avoidance and preservation of the NRHP-contributing areas of Site 9CH793. If avoidance of the eastern preservation area is not possible, then we recommend the preparation of a data recovery plan to mitigate any adverse effects to this NRHP-contributing area. The remaining portions of 9CH793 outside our recommended preservation area are noncontributing elements of the overall eligibility of the site, and further management of these noncontributing areas outside of the preservation areas of 9CH793 are not necessary.
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