The 1970-71 Field Seasons at Bell Field Mound, Carters Dam

There have been six field seasons of exploration at Bell Field, 9 Mu 101, beginning in 1965 and ending with the summer of 1971. Progress has been slow, uneven, and interrupted, due to restricted budgets, small field crews and short digging sessions. In 1969, although funds were available, the chief investigator spent seven months in salvage archeology at the industrial, park site of the Great Southwest Development Company of Atlanta. In 1970, July-August, 6 weeks excavation, with three laborers and volunteers from Atlanta resulted in some significant but incomplete discoveries at the base of Bell Field mound. The last previous excavations had been in the summer of 1968, and the ensuing two years of site abandonment resulted in grievous erosional scarring of the site. All profiles were badly weathered' and slumped beyond recognition, and half-uncovered structures at base of cut battened down under plastic had to be reexposed under two feet or more of silt and muck.- Partial construction of the Reregulation Dam and new bridges to carry contract fill by the contractors had raised the water table several feet. The area of lush vegetation around the mound field was a marsh. It was necessary to operate a-ferry boat across Talking Rock Creek from the Little Egypt side to gain access to Bell Field. To save time in travel from - Chatsworth, Georgia, 11 miles away from Carter's, it was decided to establish a tent camp on the mound field site.