An Intensive Archaeological Assessement and Re-evaluation of the McNish Site, 9CH717; Hunter Army Airfield, Chatham County, Georgia

Between January 2008 and February 2008, Ft. Stewart's staff archaeologists performed an intensive cultural resource assessment and site excavation, in Chatham County, Georgia, on behalf of the U.S. Army; parts of the site are slated for development with an upgrade to Rio Gate entrance into Hunter Army Airfield(HAAF). The goal of the survey was to refine the site's boundary and assess the site's eligibility for inclusion of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The cultural resource assessment survey included a pedestrian inspection combined with systematic shovel testing at 30 meter intervals. Delineation shovel tests were dug at 15 meter intervals. Recovered artifacts indicate that the site had limited occupation during the Early to Late Woodland Refuge and Deptford prehistoric periods, as well as historic occupation during the 18th through 20th centuries. The site also contains a cemetery with 19th century gravestones belonging to John McNish and his infant son, William Couper McNish. The site was originally discovered during the 1983 archaeological survey of Hunter Army Airfield (HAAF) by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and consisted of limited historic and prehistoric artifacts. The historic aspect of the site was tested in 1985 by the Jeffrey L. Brown Institute of Archaeology; University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and determined to be ineligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The prehistoric aspect was never fully investigated, which is discussed in more detail in the Previous Research chapter. As a result of the survey, the site boundary was redefined as 210 meters north/south by 180 meters east/west. The site was deemed ineligible for inclusion into the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).