Archaeological Data Recovery at 9ME315 Muscogee Technology Park Columbus, Georgia

In September of200 I, Southern Research conducted data recovery excavations at Site 9Me315 for the City of Columbus, Georgia. Located on the Midland 7.5 minute USGS topographic quadrangle, the site is situated on a ridge which terminates above a small unnamed spring-fed creek which flows into Bull Creek (Figure 1). Originally located on Fort Benning property, Site 9Me315 is part of a land tract which was swapped with the City of Columbus. The City of Columbus has proposed to develop this area as an industrial park under the title Musco gee Technology Park. Site 9Me315 was first recorded as an unidentified lithic scatter in 1991 by Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc. during a survey for Fort Benning's planned timber harvest areas for fiscal years 1991/92 (Benson and Gresham 1994 ). They recommended the site as potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) based on relatively undisturbed soils and the potential for diagnostics and for defining discrete activity areas. In 1995, the site was tested by Brockington and Associates, Inc. (Gardner et al. 1995). Testing resulted in the recovery of two Savannah river projectile points/knives (PPKS) and two sand tempered ceramics, indicating Late Archaic and Woodland/Mississippian components. The data indicated the presence of a single dominant component (Late Archaic) and relatively undisturbed cultural deposits. Based on these results, the site was recommended eligible for the NRHP at the local level of significance under Criterion D, particularly in respect to the Late Archaic component (Gardner et al. 1995). The Georgia Historic Preservation Division (HPD), the US Army Infantry Center at Fort Benning, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) concurred with the NRHP recommendations. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Fort Benning, the HPD, and ACHP (with concurrence by the City of Columbus and consulting Native American tribes), was composed and agreed upon. The MOA called for avoidance of the site or mitigation of adverse impacts prior to land development. Because the site area could not be avoided by future proposed land development, data recovery was the chosen option. In 2001, a data recovery plan for 9Me315 developed by Brockington and Associates, Inc., was used by Columbus engineering consultant, Jordan, Jones, and Goulding, Inc. as a scope of work. The original Brockington plan called for the excavation of 126 50 x 50 em test units and five 2 x 2m units. Southern Research revised the plan to replace the 50 x 50 units with standard shovel tests. Data recovery in 2001 involved the excavation of shovel tests and five 2 x 2m units. Diagnostic artifacts from the Early Archaic and the Late Archaic periods were recovered, while a small number of plain sand-tempered ceramics evidence a minor Woodland or Mississippian component. Based on the data acquired during this phase of investigation, the archeological remains from the various components at 9Me315 are not stratigraphically separated. Rather, the vertical positioning of the diagnostic artifacts indicates that remains from the components have been mixed together. It is believed that bioturbation is the primary cause of this condition. The mixed context of the site hinders detailed analyses of the various components. However, it appears that the site was primarily used during the pre-ceramic Savannah River phase of the Late Archaic period. Soapstone and fiber-tempered ceramics were absent, as were heating/cooking and structural features. The Late Archaic remains are ephemeral, and suggest small, short-term occupation(s). Very little can be determined about the Early Archaic and Woodland/Mississippian components. Both of these components appear to represent very brief occupations of the site.