Between May 18 and 29, 2020 Brockington and Associates, Inc. (Brockington), conducted intensive Phase II evaluations at three archaeological sites (9CH917, 9CH918, and 9CH944) in the Port Wentworth Highway 21 Development Tract in Chatham County, Georgia. The purpose of these evaluations was to provide definitive National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility recommendations for these archaeological sites. The proposed project includes construction of a new residential development within the project tract. This investigation was carried out for Better Life Properties, Savannah, Georgia, in partial fulfilment of guidelines established for Section 404 of the Clean Water Act permit.
The goal of this investigation was to further evaluate the three archaeological sites. Specific objectives include refining site boundaries, collecting artifact samples, assessing the potential for intact archaeological deposits, and assessing the potential for the sites to address topics regarding past lifeways. These data were used to provide a definitive statement on the sites' NRHP eligibility. In addition, management recommendations for each site are provided for future preservation, additional research, or clearance for construction.
Based on the results of our Phase II investigation we recommend one of the sites, 9CH944, eligible for inclusion on the NRHP. This site will require additional management including protection from proposed activities that might destroy or disturb significant archaeological deposits. Specifically, the north-central and northern portion of 9CH944, including two distinct precontact artifact concentrations (Locus 1 and Locus 2) containing Middle Archaic, Late Archaic, Early/Middle Woodland, and Mississippian components, as well intact nineteenth-century landscape features related to the Threadcraft Plantation Rice Complex, are significant NRHP-contributing portions of the site that should be avoided by impacts and preserved. This recommended preservation area is approximately 1.0 acre in size. The remaining portions of 9CH944 outside of our recommended preservation area are noncontributing elements of the overall eligibility of the site, and further management of the areas outside of the preservation areas of 9CH944 is not necessary. In addition, we recommend Sites 9CH917 and 9CH918 as not eligible for the NRHP, and additional management considerations for these sites is not warranted.
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