An Intensive Cultural Resources Survey of the Fifteen Acre Avian Tract on Skidaway Island, Chatham County, Georgia

Southeastern Archeological Services conducted an intensive cultural resources survey of a fifteen acre tract on Skidaway Island for the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and the engineering firm of Hussey, Gay, Bell and DeYoung, Inc. Two "new" archeological sites were identified, and one previously recorded site was revisited and shovel tested. The previously reported site, 9CH127, includes a rather substantial sheet midden that consists primarily of shell, but which also contains prehistoric ceramics dating to various phases of the Woodland and Mississippian periods. A small quantity of tabby, but no other historic artifacts, was also recovered from the site. Site 9CH826 is a very similar site that consists of a sheet midden of shell and bone, as well as a prehistoric artifact scatter. Both of the sites are recommended potentially eligible for the National Register because they appear to have the potential to yield significant, new, non trivial information on prehistoric settlement, subsistence, and chronology. The third site, 9CH827 is a less dense scatter of prehistoric and historic artifacts that includes a much smaller shell midden. The portion of this site within the project area is recommended ineligible to the National Register owing to the sparsity of the deposits and subsequent lack of research potential. The scope, extent and nature of proposed development on the 15 cre tract has not been finalized, so project effects on the sites cannot be accurately assessed. The two potentially eligible sites should be avoided by ground disturbing activities or should be archeologically tested to firmly determine their eligibility status. The testing could reveal that portions of the sites could be developed without significant detriment to the site as a whole.