The Stafford North Archaeological SurveyCumberland Island National Seashore, Camden County, Georgia

In 2015, archeologists from the Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC), working under the auspices of the Regional Archeological Survey Program (RASP) at SEAC conducted a phase II evaluative survey along the back barrier shoreline of Cumberland Island National Seashore to assess a series of sites originally identified in the early 1970s. The seven sites, located between the Stafford and Plum Orchard mansions on the west side of the island, were identified by pedestrian survey, and only one, the Stafford North (CUIS-10) was subject to archeological excavation. Since that time, no systematic sub-surface surveys were ever conducted to determine the full extent of the sites, or assess their eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Site assessments in 2005-2006 and 2012 indicated the sites were being deteriorated by shoreline erosion and the activity of feral hogs and horses. The goal of the project was to conduct systematic sub-surface testing at each of the sites to determine their boundaries based on the distribution of artifacts and midden deposits detected in shovel tests, as well any visible traces of the sites observed on the adjacent shoreline marsh edge, or within the interior forest.

Based on the results of the fieldwork and analysis of the artifact assemblage several recommendations are made for further research to help the NPS meet its obligations in accordance with Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, and Section 14 of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) of 1979, which require land managing agencies of the federal government to survey all lands under their jurisdiction to locate and inventory archeological sites within their boundaries. These recommendations include additional excavations of the sites investigated during this survey, survey of other areas of Cumberland Island that have been previously neglected, and continued site condition assessments and shoreline inspections to monitor sites and gather information about the rate of shoreline erosion.

The project area chosen for the present investigation encompasses seven sites that are consecutively listed in the Archeological Sites Management Information System (ASMIS) as CUIS-10 through CUIS-16 and are located between the historic Stafford and Plum Orchard mansions, approximately half way between the south and north ends of Cumberland Island.