Archaeological Investigations of the Central Georgia Train Shed

This paper reports on cultural resources data collection in the Central of Georgia train shed, Battlefield Park, Savannah, Georgia. The National Register structure was undergoing modification for conversion to an orientation center and museum. Construction of internal footings in two areas required excavation ranging from four to ten feet below finished grade. A second phase due to drain line construction outside the train shed was initiated in November. During data recovery, a complex sequence of filling was noted and recorded. All filling was due to activities of the Central of Georgia railroad between 1835 and 1950. Information recovered related to railroad operations within the train shed and to the sequence of different tracks utilized over the last 140 years. Included in the features noted were flat iron bars interpreted as rails laid in 1837, soil anomalies which contained wax or tallow, thought to be the remnants of torches, and indications of the original railway embankment slope. Some plow scars which predate the railroad era were also noted. No materials linked to the Revolutionary War era were noted during this survey, although the possibility of finding evidence of the 9 October 1779 battle was addressed during documentary research and planning for the excavations. Outside the train shed, a similar fill sequence was noted and a large cistern encountered.