Mills, Mines, a Mound and maybe a Haunted House: Archeological Survey of 3040 Acres at J. Strom Thurmond(Clark Hill) Lake, Georgia

In order to comply with federal regulations concerning the protection of important archeological resources (National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended; Executive Order 11593), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--Savannah District, and the J. Strom Thurmond Project, sponsored the survey of 3040 ac prior to timber harvesting. Archeological sites judged to have research potential (i.e., that are eligible or potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places) will be protected by excluding them from timber harvesting. Portions of two land management compartments, both located in Georgia, were surveyed. Compartment 1, consisting of 1561 ac, is located in McDuffie County on a peninsula formed by the confluence of Big Creek and Hart Creek. Compartment 6, totaling approximately 1479 ac, is located in the upper reaches of the reservoir at Anthony Shoals on the Broad River. This tract includes portions of Elbert, Wilkes, and Lincoln Counties. The survey was conducted in December, 1997 and January, 1998 by Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc. A total of 287 cultural resources was found, consisting of 229 sites and 58 artifact occurrences. The sites date from the Early Archaic period (ca. 7500 B.C.) through the mid twentieth century. Within Compartment 1, nineteenth to twentieth century gold mining seems to have affected site density. The actual mines (Columbia and Hamilton) are located immediately north and outside of the survey tract, but the compartment contains numerous house sites and small prospecting pits. A previously unreported cemetery was also found. The presence of Anthony Shoals affected site size and density in Compartment 6. Key prehistoric sites include the Anthony Shoals site (9WS51), which is a stratified multicomponent site located on the river levee, and Miller's Mound (9WS264), situated on a high hilltop overlooking the shoals. The mound has been damaged by looters, but overall it is in relatively good condition. It probably dates to the Cartersville phase of the Middle Woodland period (ca. 200 B.C. - A.D. 600). It is the only Woodland period mound in the upper Savannah River valley. Also noteworthy is the discovery of sites containing protohistoric pottery in Compartment 6. These are the only sites from this time period that have been reported in this portion of the valley. Compartment 6 also contains well preserved examples of nineteenth century water powered industrial sites. Most impressive are the ruins of the Hopewell Factory (ca. 1840 1875). The site contains the ruins of a four-story textile mill, an adjacent mill, foundations to storehouses and the mill workers' village, two powder magazines(?), retaining walls, and an extensive raceway. On the south side of the river are the ruins of Burton's Mill and remnants of an earlier mill known as Cade's Mill, which dates to the late eighteenth century.