An Archaeological Survey of Jekyll Island, Georgia

At the request of the Jekyll Island Authority, an archaeological survey of Jekyll Island was initiated on March 6th and concluded on March 15th, 1985. The survey was carried out by the author and the half-time assistance of one crew member, resulting in a total field time of 120 hours. The goal of the survey was to record the location of as many archaeological sites as possible in order to provide a base-line document to be used in planning and management of the island's cultural resources. Jekyll Island is Georgia's smallest Pleistocene barrier island, measuring approximately 12 kilometers north to south and slightly more than two kilometers east to west (Figure 1). The island is located southeast of the city of Brunswick, just south of St. Simons Island, and just north of Cumberland Island. The entire western side of Jekyll Island is comprised of Pleistocene formations, while the eastern fringe and southern end of the island are composed of more recent and active Holocene formations. The western side is fronted by Jekyll ·Creek and spartina salt marsh, while the eastern edge of the island is defined by a beach strand facing the Atlantic Ocean. The northern end of the island is separated from St. Simons Island by St. Simons Sound and the southern end from Cumberland Island by St. Andrew Sound. The original environment of Jekyll Island has been badly disturbed by construction and development. Much of this disturbance has occurred since 1947, when the State of Georgia purchased the island to be used as a state park. The most rapid development has taken place since 1954, when a causeway and bridge was constructed to link the island with the mainland. Ground disturbing activities associated. with construction of paved roads, parking lots, hotels, golf courses, an airport, and residences have severely impacted the island's cultural resources. As of 1976, 1498 ha of the island's 17 40 ha were developed to a greater or lesser extent (Warner and Strouss 1976). At the time of the present archaeological survey, approximately two-thirds of the island were estimated to be intensively disturbed due to recreational, commercial, and residential development. Natural physiographic changes in the island's environment also have been documented over the past century. In a recent study of the shoreline history of Georgia's barrier islands, it was determined that Jekyll Island had undergone the least net change of Georgia's major barrier islands since 1857/1868. While there has been little change in overall dimensions, the island has migrated southward through erosion on the northern end and accretion on the southern end. During the 117-year study period, a maximum of 289.6 m has eroded from the St. Simons Sound shoreline and a maximum of 432.8 m of shoreline was added to the southern end of the island at St. Andrew Sound (Griffin and Henry 1984:68-70). The natural climax environment of magnolia-live oak forest canopy with an understory dominated by palmetto and scrub oak survives in isolated sections of the island. Animal resources found in the forest include white-tailed deer, raccoons, rabbits, and squirrels. Acorns and hickory nuts of the forest once provided the island's aboriginal inhabitants with a seasonally plentiful supply of vegetable food. The tidal streams adjacent to Jekyll Island provided a varied and abundant set of resources, including seasonally abundant species of estuarine fish and shell fish (see Johnson et al. 1974, Crook 1984).