Archeological Testing of Twelve Sites On Reynolds Plantation, Greene County, Georgia

Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc. (SAS) conducted archeological testing of twelve sites on Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee during the month of July 1998. The sites were discovered by SAS in 1997 (Ledbetter 1998), during a survey of approximately 1860 acres of undeveloped Reynolds property in Greene and Putnam Counties, Georgia. The surveyed tracts included property already owned by Reynolds Plantation and property being acquired for future development. The surveyed area is located in the horseshoe bend or "bend" area of the Oconee River. During the mid-twentieth century much of the large tract was known as the Lingerlonger Plantation. The original survey and subsequent testing of the twelve sites was conducted for compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. This Section 106 process was necessitated by Reynolds' need for a Section 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The intensive survey conducted by SAS recorded 165 field sites. The identified sites provide evidence of intensive utilization of the area throughout the prehistoric and historic periods. The sites tested and described in the present report are those that are potentially eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and that are located in areas of Reynolds Plantation that are scheduled for development in the near future. The components investigated on the tested sites range from Archaic through early twentieth century (Table 1). The sites were investigated in order to firmly establish National Register eligibility status. Sites recommended as eligible retain substantial evidence of further research potential, and thus meet National Register criterion d. All four recommended eligible sites will be affected to some degree by the development of roads, golf courses, and a lodge. Detailed development plans are pending the results of this testing program. Specific mitigation plans, which will detail the proposed development and outline measures to avoid and protect or mitigate adverse effects to the sites, will be submitted for review upon acceptance of this testing report. We recommend no further work at the eight sites recommended not eligible to the National Register.