Cultural Resource Investigation of Historic Wrightsboro, Georgia

This report documents historical and archaeological investigations undertaken by Soil Systems, Inc. on the site of the extinct town of Wrightsboro, Georgia. An early priority of this study was to establish if the site contained the eighteenth century Quaker town of Wrightsboro, and historical research, map studies, and archaeological investigation provided conclusive proof that the study site contained the remains of that town. Wrightsboro was established as a planned town by Quakers from North Carolina in 1767, although evidence developed during this project indicated that the town never grew beyond a small settlement. Most of the archival sources researched during this project are housed in Thomson, Georgia, and are maintained as the Pearl Baker Collection. An objective of this project was to inventory the records in the Baker Collection, so that future research could be more easily planned and implemented. That project goal was reached, and the inventory revealed a body of data that should prove useful to future researchers. The archaeological survey revealed 10 archaeological sites, 19 areas with standing structures or structural ruins, and a number of isolated prehistoric and historic artifact finds. Prehistoric and historic sites are represented among the archaeological sites, and identified prehistoric components include Dalton (Transitional Paleo-Indian) and Horrow Hountain (Hiddle Archaic). The historical resources range from the early settlement period to modern, with most sites postdating 1870. Relatively few archaeological resources from the early settlement period of Wrightsboro were found. The original Quaker settlers left Wrightsboro and moved to the Hid-West in the early nineteenth century. The town continued to be occuppied after the Quaker departure, and kept its identity as a tmm until the early twentieth century. Based on the archaeological survey results and limited testing, it is believed that the remains of early Wrightsboro are encapsulated beneath later deposits, and will be located through future archaeological research. This study was intended to serve as a planning document for the site of the town of Wrightsboro. The project results indicate that future studies are needed to address questions raised by this investigation, but for the moment the most important priority for the site is to insure preservation of the structures, ruins, and sites that remain. The original town site of Wrightsboro covered 191 acres. The survey area designated for this project was 336 acres, and included the 191 acres set aside for the town plan. Based on the results of this project the 336 acres survey area contains sufficient resources to be nominated to the National Register of Historic Places as the Wrightsboro Historic District.