Archeological Investigations of the Strickland Tract, Gwinnett County, Georgia

In compliance with a rezoning condition set by the Gwinnett County Commission, Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc. conducted an archeological survey of a ca. 167 ac wooded tract of land in eastern Gwinnett County. This tract did not include the Parks-Strickland National Register archeological site. The goal of the survey was to use archeological method and theory to assess the likelihood of American Indian graves or burials occurring on the tract. The survey was conducted from June 20-30, 1994 and entailed 12 person days of fieldwork and one day of archival research. The survey was conducted by Thomas Gresham and an assistant. The tract was intensively walked and inspected, with all man-made features noted on project maps. A total of 83 shovel tests were excavated to discover prehistoric occupation sites that could have contained burials. No such occupation sites were found. The survey then focused on rock piles, which some people assert are Indian burials. About 183 rock piles (excluding those in and near the Parks-Strickland complex) were located by this survey. Four of the piles were bisected and carefully excavated. No human remains, artifacts or other evidence of burials were encountered. Based on nine lines of evidence the principal investigator believes that it is likely that all the rock piles on the subject tract are of historic origin. These rock piles are built on eroded subsoil and do not resemble true Indian burial mounds. The tract was heavily used during historic times, at which time rock chimneys, terraces and check dams were constructed. The tract also contains mining/quarrying disturbance that appears to be a result of quarrying the rock that naturally occurs throughout the tract. It appears that in historic times people were acquiring and using the rock as a resource. Even if some of the piles were of prehistoric origin, they are not likely to be burial mounds, as known rock burial mounds in Georgia are large and tend to occur on hill tops. In regard to the principal issue of this project, it is the opinion of the principal investigator that it is highly unlikely that the rock piles are burials, nor is it likely that American Indian burials occur on the Strickland tract.