Intensive archaeological test excavations, sponsored by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, were conducted at two prehistoric stone cairn sites located in the Clarks Hill Lake Reservoir area of Lincoln County, Georgia and McCormick County, South Carolina. Stone cairns are common in this Piedmont Upland Section of the Southeast, but few systematic archaeological investigations of these features have been conducted. Investigations of small stone cairns, moreover, tend to yield enigmatic cultural affiliation and functional information. The Lincoln County [Field Site 1] and McCormick County [Field Site 2] site investigations contribute metric, stratigraphic, and soil chemistry data useful for comparison with similar cairn sites in the Southeast. No indicators of cairn/site function were identified, but the unique north-south alignment of five FS 1 quartz stone Woodland [presumed] period cairns adds to the significance of the site. The site is especially unique to reported Southeastern .cairn sites because of the presence of a sixth gneiss-capped earthen mound. A Late Archaic period Savannah River Stemmed projectile point was recovered from this feature. This rock cairn site meets the eligibility criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as identified in 36 CFR Part 60.6. Field Site 2 does not display adequately significant attributes to meet National Register eligibility.
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