Archaeological surveys to identify and document the Oasis (9MC505) and Windy Hill Cemeteries were conducted as part of the archeological creative mitigation of impacts associated with the I-95 interchange with Georgia Highway 251 (PI No. 0007421). Neither cemetery will be directly or indirectly impacted by these construction activities, and there currently are no future construction projects that will impact these facilities. New South Associates, Inc. conducted an initial reconnaissance on December 14, 2011 to locate the cemeteries and returned on February 14-16, 2013 to archaeologically verify the contents and size of the burial areas. A surface and soil compaction (probe) survey of the Oasis Cemetery was able to identify 39 potential mortuary features in an area near fully surrounded by drainage ditches. Grave depressions, informal granite and quartzite (ballast stone) cobble markers, and nineteenth through early twentieth-century grave decorations were identified. An exhaustive search of likely places in the landscape failed to find information leading to the discovery of the Windy Hill Cemetery. Both the Oasis and Windy Hill Cemeteries are important resources for the City of Darian and McIntosh County's African American community. Care should be taken to recognize and preserve these burial grounds as part of McIntosh County's cultural landscape.
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