Cultural Resources Survey and Testing of the Georgia Pacific (Thompson-Towns) Tract

In August 1993, Brockington and Associates completed the cultural resources survey of the 4,107 acre Thompson-Towns Tract, Screven County, Georgia. The tract is managed by the COE-Savannah as a wildlife mitigation area for the Russell Reservoir project. The tract consists of approximately 1,000 upland acres, and approximately 3,100 acres of the Savannah River floodplain swamp. The tract is bordered on the east by the Savannah River, and it is bordered on the west by Old River Road. Approximately 30 percent of the uplands were clearcut logged within the past few years; the remaining 70 percent have pine dominated forest. The survey tract was divided into floodplain (i.e., predominately cypress swamp) and uplands. The entire uplands were covered through shovel testing on a 30 m interval. Shovel tests measured 30 by 30 cm. Tests were excavated to apparent sterile subsoil, occasionally at greater than 80 cm below surface. All fill was screened through 0.25 inch mesh. The floodplain was examined only in high potential areas, specifically oxbow lakes or point bars. Thirty m interval shovel testing was undertaken in 12 locations, including all oxbow lakes depicted on the USGS quadrangle sheets and the USDA Soil Survey aerial photographs. Discovered sites were examined through the excavation of 10 m interval shovel tests. Ten m interval shovel testing was not undertaken on the extremely large, dispersed lithic scatters, or on sites defined by topography/drainage. One previously recorded site, 27 newly discovered sites, and 13 isolated finds were documented by the survey (Table 1). The findings clearly demonstrate the extreme impact which clearcut logging has had on portions of the tract. However, sites with intact deposits have survived in other portions of the tract. Overall, the results indicate a heavy utilization of the tract throughout the prehistoric periods, with an apparent emphasis on near-quarry reduction of lithic raw material packages. The survey resulted in one site recommended as eligible for the NRHP, 11 sites recommended as potentially eligible for the NRHP, and 16 sites recommended as ineligible for the NRHP. One of the potentially eligible sites also contains an historic cemetery.