An Intensive Cultural Resource Assessment Survey of the Proposed Brunswick Liberty Ship Connector Trail Glynn County, Georgia

In January, 2006, Environmental Services, Inc. (ESI) performed an intensive cultural resource assessment survey of the proposed Brunswick Liberty Ship Connector Trail, located parallel to U.S. 17 and Lanier Boulevard in Glynn County, Georgia, on behalf of the City of Brunswick. The 2.4 mile pedestrian trail will connect Liberty Ship Park, a passive recreational park, to Howard Coffin Park, which is an existing active recreational park. The former will be constructed at the base of the new Sidney Lanier Bridge, and the latter is located at the intersection of Highway 1 7 and Gloucester Street. The property that will support the trail is owned by the City of Brunswick and the Georgia Department of Transportation. The goal of the survey was to locate, identify, delineate, and evaluate all archaeological resources within the proposed trail location, including prehistoric and historic sites. The State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) has already determined that the proposed trail will not have an effect on any nearby structures over fifty years of age, as stated in their letter of October 28, 2005. The cultural resource assessment survey included a pedestrian inspection combined with systematic shovel testing at 30 m intervals along the 2.4 mile corridor. As a result of the survey, no archaeological sites were encountered on the property; however, five shovel tests were positive. The artifacts recovered were apparently a result of historic roadside dumping episodes and are not related to any domicile or historic habitation. They exhibited no research potential and no integrity, and no subsurface features were observed. The positive tests occurred at least sixty meters from each other, and all other tests were negative. The decision to not report these roadside discards as an archaeological site was made through consultation with Joey Charles, Review Archaeologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Division. As a result of this survey, no further archaeological investigation is recommended for the proposed trail.