On October 25-26 2005, staff archaeologists from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) conducted a series of ground penetrating radar (GPR) assessments of selected areas within Magnolia Springs State Park (MSSP), in Jenkins County, Georgia. This work was accomplished as part of an ongoing cooperative relationship between GDOT and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR). The primary focus of this work was to attempt to identify the original stockade associated with Camp Lawton, a Civil War era Confederate prisoner-of-war camp built to relieve the overcrowding at Andersonville. In the fall of 1864 Camp Lawton housed approximately 13,000 Union prisoners and was a full functioning entity with an earthen fort, log houses, a hospital, and other facilities. To date, no systematic archaeological research has been conducted within the park and the location of the stockade has remained an unresolved question. Results of this survey are excellent, and there is a strong possibility that we have identified one portion of the stockade. In addition, we have eliminated numerous other areas and future efforts can focus on refining these results.
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