Addendum To: An Archaeological Survey for the Proposed Oxbow Marina Muscogee County, Georgia

This report addendum provides additional data regarding the archaeological survey of the proposed Oxbow Marina project in Muscogee County, Georgia. The first survey of the proposed marina was conducted in April of 1999 and reported by archaeologist Sarah Cowie of Southern Research. (An Archaeological Survey for the Proposed

Oxbow Marina, Muscogee County, Georgia, June 1999) W. Dean Wood was the Principal Investigator. The first survey examined approximately 84 acres and evaluated four Native American archaeological sites: 9Me14, 9Me24, 9Me876 and 9Me877. The 2001 work, directed by Wood, examined an additional 41 acres that were added to the Area of Potential Effect (APE) and returned to two sites, 9Me24 and 9Me877, to better define their site limits within the APE. Figure 1 shows the project's location and Figure 2 shows the archaeological sites within the APE.

Site 9Me14 was originally found by Mr. David Chase in 1958 and recorded in the.University of Georgia Archaeology Site Files (UGA). The 1999 survey defined the boundaries of the site using shovel testing and excavated one backhoe trench at the southwestern corner of the site. This work demonstrated that the site contained deeply stratified intact archaeological deposits and cultural features dating from the Early and Late Archaic Periods, Middle and Late Woodland Periods, Late Mississippian Period, and the Historic Creek Period. Review of our work by the U.S. Army Savannah District Corps of Engineers and the Georgia Historic Preservation Division determined that the site was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (Crosby 1999, Clouse 1999). No additional work was conducted on this site in 2001.

Site 9Me24 was also found by Mr. David Chase in 1958 and recorded in the UGA Site Files. In 1999, Cowie used shovel testing, surface observations and backhoe testing to define the limits of the site and evaluate its significance. Her work determined that one area of the site had intact archaeological deposits and cultural features dating to the Middle Woodland and Late Mississippian Periods. Other areas of the site, while exhibiting surface artifacts, may have been disturbed by the Columbus Waterworks in the mid 1990s. The site boundary used by Cowie in her .1999 report was inclusive in that it encompassed a large area where artifacts had been observed. She recommended a Phase Two testing effort to refine the site limits using a backhoe to distinguish between intact and disturbed deposits. Review of our work by the US Army Savannah District Corps of Engineers and the Georgia Historic Preservation Division determined that the site was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (Crosby 1999, Clouse 1999). In September 2001 we excavated seven backhoe trenches to refine the site limits.

Site 9Me876 was found by the 1999 survey on the edge of an existing sand and gravel·mining pit. The mining pit had removed nearly all of this Middle Woodland Period site before the survey. Cowie determined that the site had lost its integrity and recommended it as not significant. The U.S. Army Savannah District Gorps of Engineers and the Georgia Historic Preservation Division concurred (Crosby 1999, Clouse 1999). No additional work was conducted in 2001.

Site 9Me877, also found by the 1999 survey, was recognized by a surface scatter of Native American artifacts at the edge of the sand and gravel mining pit. The well drained soils and elevated landform suggested that the site may be large and significant. At the time of the survey, the proposed marina project boundary was not fully defined or marked and residents lived in the potential site area. This hindered the survey from defining the site's limits. Cowie recommended that further work be conducted to define the site's limits and evaluate its significance. The U.S, Army Savannah District Corps of Engineers and the Georgia Historic Preservation Division concurred (Crosby 1999, Clouse 1999). Our work in 2001 included shovel testing and surface collections in the now-vacant area.