Phase I Cultural Resources Survey and Archaeological Inventory of the Proposed Southern Liquefied Natural Gas Wetland Creation Project on Elba Island, Chatham County

This document presents the results of a Phase I cultural resources survey and archeological inventory of the proposed Southern Liquefied Natural Gas (SLNG) Wetland Creation Project on Elba Island, in Chatham County, Georgia. Fieldwork was completed between February and March of 2002, by R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc., on behalf of Southern Liquefied Natural Gas. This document contains the results of a detailed examination of the proposed Area of Potential Effect. The Area of Potential Effect was subjected to both pedestrian survey and systematic subsurface testing using shovel and auger testing. In total, 4.6 ha (11.4 ac) were examined for cultural resources. This project was undertaken in accordance with the procedures outlined in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended; the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974; the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979, as amended; and Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 60-66; Archeology and Historic Preservation: The Secretary of the Interior's Guidelines, in A Strategy for Cultural Resource Planning in Georgia (Crook 1986), and in A Vision for the Future: The Georgia Historic Preservation Plan (The Georgia Department of Natural Resources 1989) as appropriate. During survey, a single cultural resource (Site 9CH977) was identified and recorded. Site 9CH977 was identified on the northern shoreline of the proposed Wetland Creation project area; it consisted of construction debris (i.e., brick pier fragments, pipes, etc.) and domestic material of a structural complex that has been associated with Florence Martus, known locally as the "waving girl," as well as with a series of navigational lights built along the Savannah River in the late nineteenth century. Both aspects are important to the historical understanding the Savannah River area of Georgia. Delineation of the site area confirmed that no intact cultural deposits were present within that portion of the currently defined Area of Potential Effect. The potential of Site 9CH977 to provide substantial archeological data regarding nineteenth century lifeways appears to be limited due to the absence of intact cultural deposits and the heavy physical alteration of the landscape. Therefore, Site 9CH977 does not retain substantial archeological research potential required for satisfying Criterion D (i.e., information potential) or Criterion C (i.e., design/construction) of the National Register of Historic Places criteria for evaluation (36 CFR 60.4). Conversely, archival research concerning the site area indicates that Site 9CH977 is associated with a significant person (Criterion B) and with a specific historical event or pattern of events (Criterion A) as defined by the National Register of Historic Places criteria for evaluation (36 CFR 60.4). Integrity of the resource and/or its surrounding landscape, however, still is required in assessing a resource associated with a significant person, i.e., "sufficient integrity implies that the essential physical features during its association with the person's life are intact," or a historical event, i.e., "archeological properties must have well preserved features, artifacts, and intra-site patterning in order to illustrate a specific event or pattern of events in history" (NR Bulletin 36). As documented in this report, integrity of the cultural resource is lacking and sufficient background research has been completed such that it can be said with certainty that Site 9CH977 will provide little or no additional research value to the Savannah River area. Finally, the level of historical and archival research used to document this resource demonstrates that no additional fieldwork is necessary to mitigate the effects of the proposed project on Site 9CH977. Site 9CH977 does not posses the qualities of significance as defined by the above mentioned criteria for evaluation and no additional investigation of Site 9CH977 is recommended. In addition, no additional testing of the proposed SLNG Elba Island Wetland Creation project parcel is recommended.