The Early Vegetable Tanning Industry in Georgia: Archaeological Testing at the Clinton Tannery (09JO282), Jones County, Georgia

This project was conducted under a transportation enhancement grant provided by the Jones County Commission and the Georgia Department of Transportation. The project included mapping, ground penetrating radar (GPR), historic research, and limited archaeological testing at the Clinton Tannery and Bark Mill in Clinton, Georgia. The project area lies 21km. (13 miles) northeast of Macon in Jones County, Georgia. The Clinton Historical Society currently owns the 5.25 ha. (13 acre) tract that includes the Tannery as well as two historic house sites. These sites were initially recorded during a survey of the tract by Cypress Cultural Consultants as part of a transportation grant provided by the Jones County Commission and the Georgia Department of Transportation in 2001. Fieldwork for the project survey was conducted over several months primarily from May 5 to December 7, 2006. Today the Clinton Tanyard exists relatively unaltered from its condition in November 1864 after it was destroyed by the Federal Army. It is a product of the changes in ownership, management, and technology that occurred over its fifty years in operation tracing an early vegetable leather industry through the formative years of Georgia history. The layout includes a bark mill, a system of tanning vats, and at least one enclosed structure, all of which were tested during the present study. A likely tanning process utilized at the Clinton Tannery was formulated following this study and is based on close examination of similar tanneries as well the archaeological testing of this site. The site is in remarkably good condition and currently enjoys the protection of ownership by the Clinton Historical Society who plans on utilizing the site for educational and interpretative purposes. Future use and development of the site should be conducted carefully so as not to adversely impact the important site of the Clinton Tannery as well as other historic resources on the tract.