Archaeological Data Recovery at Site 9GE2178

Site 9GE2178 is a Lamar period Mississippian artifact scatter on a ridge top edge, ranging in height between 462 and 472 feet above mean sea level (141-144 m amsl). Located barely 100 meters west of Lake Oconee's high water shore line (formerly Richland Creek), the approximately 4,048 square meter (93 m E/W x 55 m N/S) site is covered by a moderately dense growth of pines and a few young hardwoods with variable ground cover. Much of the slope directly to the south, east, and north of the site has been severely deflated; evidenced by deep erosion. Survey and testing of Site 9GE2178 included the excavation of 107 shovel test pits and two test units (each measuring 1 x 2 m). Altogether 389 artifacts were recovered from all proveniences. Diagnostic artifacts from the 23 positive shovel test pits and two test units included curvilinear complicated, rectilinear complicated stamped, and medium to bold incised sherds, indicating a Lamar affiliation. Only a roughly 50-meter wide band of thin sandy loam topsoil along the southeast to northwest trending crest of the ridge line has escaped complete erosion. Although no intact midden layers were detected within this topsoil during survey and testing, Whitley (2006:37) proposed that pit, posthole, and burial features might potentially occur within the underlying subsoil layer along the ridge line. Considering the research potential of the intact portion of Site 9GE2178, which was thought to be a Lamar period farmstead or other significant occupation, Whitley (2006:37) recommended the site as eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Whitley furthermore recommended that the portion of the Montgomery Project Tract in which Site 9GE2178 is located be avoided, or if avoidance is not possible, Phase III data recovery excavation should be the alternative. Considering that the proposed development of the Montgomery Project Tract in which Site 9GE2178 is located entails the building of a residential infrastructure and eventual sale of lots to prospective homeowners, data recovery was initiated. The following report presents the setting, research questions, field and laboratory techniques, and results of the data recovery work at Site 9GE2178.