Progress Report Darien Waterworks Improvement Project, Darien, Georgia, October 24 - November 17, 1977: Our Project Number ES-902

Most of the trenching operations to date have been on un-paved sand roads. The New River Road was the only asphalt- paved road involved. Work here was primarily confined to the side of the road and care was taken not to damage the existing pavement. On all except Old River Road, fill was evident. The fill was comprised of a variety of soils, including clay and sands. Their absence or presence made for a variation in the thickness of the road fill in a specific area. On the New River Road, south of the Todd Grant School, the fill was as much as 1 meter thick. These fills overlie a natural deposition of light tan sand. A collection of artifacts retrieved from these fills was made. These include some typical Late 19th Century-Early 20th Century ceramics, a "torpedo" bottle (from this same period), glass fragments from modern beer and soda bottles and tin and aluminum cans. Although the Waterworks Improvements Project presents a unique concept in the location of archaeological sites, it must also be remembered that at any given point, the waterline trench is only approximately 80 cms. in width and 1.3 meters in depth from surface. While exposing some archaeological sites with the trenching, it is also true that many sites in the surrounding areas are missed by the same procedure. Therefore, based on empirical archaeological knowledge, there will be some areas that are felt to contain a significant amount of archaeological potential. These areas will be designated "sensitive" areas. One "sensitive" area has been determined during this report period. This area is noted on Figure 1. It is roughly an 800 square foot area between the Cathead Creek and the Booker and Fowler sites on New River Road. This "sensitive" area possesses certain beneficial advantages to an aboriginal population. Those advantages include a slightly elevated land surface that gives protection from tidal changes and flooding and nearby water and forest areas from which both faunal and marine resources could be utilized for food purposes. Evidence of both the faunal and marine resources are found at the Booker and Fowler sites. The New River Road at this point is the nearest road to the river, and the only one on which construction will take place. With the above-mentioned advantages and the spatial association of the two known sites on New River Road, it is felt that this archaeological "sensitive" area must be recognized. Two archaeological sties were identified during the period of November 9 November 17, 1977. These are the Booker site (X5) and the Fowler site (X7). They are both prehistoric sites and their descriptions follow.