Past and Present Landscapes at the North End Site (9CH1062), Ossabaw Island, Georgia

During May and June of 2011 and 2012, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) undertook an archaeological survey and limited testing at the North End site (9CH1062) on Ossabaw Island, Georgia (Figure 1). The two fieldwork sessions, each lasting four weeks, were supported by the Ossabaw Foundation and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The survey was performed by students enrolled in a summer archaeological field methods course directed by Principal Investigator Dr. Nicholas Honerkamp. This report documents the survey and testing results.

The primary goal of the UTC research was to determine the spatial and temporal boundaries of the historic component at the site. Previous research at the North End by Dan Elliott of the LAMAR Institute (2005, 2007) resulted in a substantial amount of detailed information on some of the subsurface structural remains present there, along with a sizeable sample of material culture associated with them. However, the spatial limits of the historic deposits were never firmly established. In addition, documentary data indicated that a large number of enslaved Africans occupied the North End for a century, yet only three tabby duplexes are directly linked to their presence on the island. Accordingly, Elliott (2007:150) pointed out the need to define the extent of the site’s historic occupation, including the location(s) of additional slave housing. The UTC research was designed to address these important but unmet objectives.