Reconnaissance-Level Archaeological Survey of a Portion of Gascoigne Bluff, Saint Simons Island, Glynn County, Georgia

Terrestrial and underwater remote sensing surveys were conducted on May 23 and May 31, 2005 to determine whether significant archaeological resources were present on and offshore of a portion of Gascoigne Bluff, on Saint Simons Island in Glynn County, Georgia. The surveys were conducted for compliance with State and Federal environmental regulations prior to construction of a public fishing pier. The investigations concluded that no significant archaeological resources would be affected by construction of the pier. Section i of this report describes the terrestrial survey and section 2 describes the marine survey. Coastal Resources Division of Georgia Department of Natural Resources proposes to construct a public fishing pier on Gascoigne Bluff on Saint Simons Island (Figure 1). The proposed location of the pier is 366 feet upstream of the Torras Causeway Bridge that connects the island to the mainland (Figure 2). The pier will be located on a low bluff, and will extend across a marsh strip to access deep water. The landward end of the walkway will attach to a concrete abutment ca. 3' wide x 6' long x 3' deep. Pilings will support a 6' walkway across the marsh and a floating section will provide access to deep water at all tide stages. Access to the pier will be on an existing dirt road and parking will be in a grass field that lies between an oak grove to the north and a fence to the south that separates a Garden Club planting area from the field. The field is roughly triangular in shape and is approximately 100 meters N/S by 50 meters E/W. The field and oak grove are currently used for passive recreation and parking. When the pier is built, cross ties or similar objects will be used to delineate a reserved area for handicap parking; general parking will continue to use the field. The "area of potential effect" or APE (Figure 2) of the proposed project includes the grassy field west of the dirt access road, the footprint of the pier plus a construction area extending ca. 10 meters to either side of the pier, and the shoreline and river bottom immediately adjacent to the pier.