Archaeological Investigation of the Campground Renovation for High Falls State Park, Monroe County

Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division of GaDNR plans to renovate Campground Loop D at High Falls State Park in Monroe County (Figure 1). An archaeological survey for the proposed project was conducted on 9/12/2005 by Staff Archaeologist Ronnie Rogers of the Office of the State Archaeologist, which is housed in the Historic Preservation Division of GaDNR. The investigation began with a walkover of the area. Sandy clay subsoil is visible at the surface in several areas. There has been some tree removal and a few push piles are present. In general, the area appears to have thin to non-existent top soil and is eroded and disturbed. The campground loop is approximately 300 meters east/west by 150 meters north/south. The Towaliga River is about 50 meters east of the paved campground road. There is a trail running from the campground to the river, where a small shoals and deep hole probably attract fishermen and swimmers. Three rows of shovel tests were excavated along east/west transects at approximately 30 meters apart. Transects were located along the central green space and to the north and south of the paved loop road. Twenty-seven shovel tests were placed in the campground; none produced cultural material. There were two heavily disturbed areas. One was in the northeastern portion of the campground near the road connecting the area to Loop C. The other was east of the bath house. Sandy clay subsoil was exposed in both areas. Soil was typically thin along the western end of the loop, which was slightly more elevated than the eastern end. There is a moderate slope east of the bath house that terminates on the flood plain. Soil profiles in this area revealed a thin red clay cap over deep recent alluvium. Soil profiles in the southeastern portion of the campground revealed a dark upper zone of recent colluvial loam. Although there were no positive shovel tests, there were two areas from which concentrations of prehistoric lithic artifacts were recovered (Figure 2). The use of the term "concentrations" is relative, as the density of artifacts was not high. The sparse scatter extended from the woods at the western end of the campground all the way down the ridge to just beyond the bath house. No artifacts were visible in the deeply eroded trails to and along the river east of the campground.