Phase II Testing of Archaeological Sites 9MF664 and 9MF666 Clarks Hill Wildlife Management Area, J. Strom Thurmond Lake McDuffie County, Georgia HP-000516-002

On behalf of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Savannah District, the USACE, Wilmingotn District contracted Panamerican Consultants, Inc. (PCI) to perform a Phase II evaluation of archaeological Sites 9MF664 and 9MF666, located in the Clarks Hill Wildlife Management Area, J. Strom Thurmond Lake, McDuffie County, Georgia. Physical remains of early twentieth century gold mining efforts at the sites take the form of numerous placer pits and spoil piles, with other scant evidence of the temporary camps that may have sprung up around the mining sites taking the form of collapsed chimneys. The report provides a broader a broader historical context for evaluating the project sites as well as other sites related to the Columbia Mining Company of McDuffie County. Ultimately, while the sites do have a historical connection to some of the owners and operators of the Columbia Mining Company, these sites appear to be only peripheral to the larger and more significant gold mining industry that once centered on this area. We therefore recommend that these sites be considered ineligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).