Archaeological Remote Sensing Survey of South Channel and Lazaretto Creek, Chatham County, Georgia

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has proposed a project to widen US 80/SR 26 from just west of Bull River to just east of Lazaretto Creek in Chatham County, Georgia. The proposed project will widen the existing roadway to four lanes, widen the existing bridges and construct two additional bridges over Bull River and Lazaretto Creek. The source of fill material for the new roadbed will be several spoil piles on Bird/Long Island in the Savannah River. That material will be barged down the Savannah River and through Tybee Channel to an offloading point north of the existing US8O/ SR26 bridge in the vicinity, or within Lazaretto Creek. In order to ensure that the proposed project does not impact historic or archaeological resources that are eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, GDOT contracted with Tidewater Atlantic Research, Inc. (TAR) of Washington, North Carolina to conduct a remote sensing survey and low water survey of South Channel east of the Fort Pulaski Bridge, Tybee Knoll Spit and the navigation channel along Tybee Island to the junction of the main shipping channel adjacent to the south jetty and Lazaretto Creek to a point approximately 0.5 mile from its mouth. Fieldwork activities were carried out between 6 - 9 July 2004. Analysis of the remote sensing data identified a total of 291 magnetic and/or acoustic anomalies. Twenty-five of those targets have a moderate or high potential association with shipwreck material. Of those, 12 are located in the Area of Potential Effect (APE) and will be impacted by disturbances created by barge traffic in Tybee Channel and Lazaretto Creek. Additional investigation to identify and assess the material generating the targets is recommended. The other 13 potentially significant targets are located outside the APE and will not be impacted by the operation of barges in Tybee Channel or Lazaretto Creek. No additional investigation of those targets is recommended in conjunction with the current project. The remaining 266 targets appear to have been generated by single and/or clusters of ferrous objects such as wire rope, cable, pipes, anchors, traps or other modern debris. No additional investigation is recommended for those anomalies. The low water survey identified one site, a Civil War period swivel mortar carriage (CI-01). The site is well outside the APE and will not be impacted by barge traffic on Tybee Channel or Lazaretto Creek. Consideration should, however, be given to erecting a display of the site for public interpretation.