Archival Research and Testing Strategy for a Cultural Resources Survey of the Jekyll Island Wetland Mitigation Area, Glynn County, Georgia

This report presents the results of archival research and outlines a testing strategy for a wetland mitigation site located

on the south end of Jekyll Island. The project area consists of approximately 54 acres, which are proposed for use as a

wetland mitigation site for the Brunswick Harbor Deepening Project (Figure 1 ). This location originally consisted of a

back barrier area including two hammocks, extensive marsh plain, and the portions of two tidal creeks. The project

area was covered with several feet of fill in 1964, during the excavation of a lagoon on the adjoining land. The

wetland mitigation project would consist of the removal of this fill so that the project area would be covered in water at

high tide and hence would be permanently saturated. However, the removal of this fill has the potential to disturb

currently unknown buried archaeological sites. As the density of the fill deposits precludes a standardized shovel test

survey, the proposed investigation seeks to identify locations which are sensitive for archaeological remains and to

develop a testing strategy to locate these areas and determine if they contain archaeological deposits.

As the project area was filled in 1964, historical aerial photographs were reviewed to determine the locations and

frequency of hammocks, barriers, and stream channels within the project area. Aerial maps from the 1940s era and

subsequent pre-1964 historic aerial maps were provided by the Jekyll Island Museum. Archival research also involved

a review of historic USGS maps on file at the Science library at the University of Georgia. These maps were examined

for the information they provide on the topography of the project area before it was filled.

Additionally, DePratter and Howard's research (1980) on coastal site locations and hammock identifications was

reviewed . Chester DePratter was also consulted on techniques which are most successful for identifying archaeological

sites on former hammocks. This report presents the results of the background research , areas thought to contain

archaeologically-significant resources within the project boundary, and recommendations for the testing strategy to

investigate these areas.