Cultural Resources Survey of Selected (FY-90) Timber Harvesting Areas, Fort Gordon, Richmond and Columbia Counties, Georgia

An intensive cultural resources survey was conducted on Fort Gordon, Georgia in order to assess potential impacts that will result from timber harvesting and replanting. Approximately 2966 hectares (7330 acres) located in Richmond and Columbia Counties were surveyed and 211 prehistoric and historic cultural resources were located and evaluated for eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Of this total, 24 are designated as artifact occurrences, which are defined as 1 - 4 artifacts found in areas that have been badly disturbed or are simply isolated artifacts. These hold little or no research potential and are not eligible to the NRHP. Of the remaining 187 sites, 16 are recommended as meeting the criteria required for nomination to the NRHP. These cultural resources include multicomponent, stratified prehistoric archeological sites dating back to ca. 7500 B.C., historic period house sites dating from the late eighteenth - early nineteenth century, and an enigmatic site containing a large mound of rocks which potentially dates to the prehistoric period. The survey areas consisted of nine training areas or timber compartments which form two large tracts located in the northern and southern portions of Fort Gordon. The 16 cultural resources that are recommended as eligible for listing on the NRHP should be protected from adverse impacts that could result from timber harvesting, military training exercises, construction, or other land altering activities. Timber harvesting should not be permitted on these sites. To ensure protection, the Division of Forestry and Engineering should notify Headquarters of the sites' locations, off-limits signs should be posted, and the sites should be periodically monitored. If protection cannot be guaranteed then archeological data recovery in the form of large-scale excavation should be undertaken. Concerning project-related impacts to cultural resources, timber harvesting has the potential for severely damaging or destroying archeological sites, particularly if a log loading deck or road is cut through a site. At this time it is not possible to identify specific impacts to specific sites that will result from forest management. The Sandhills of Fort Gordon have been farmed for many years, and the Army has harvested timber for the past 50 years: virtually all cultural resources have been altered to some degree. However, artifact deposits often extend to a meter deep in the sandy soils, thus have been little affected by agriculture or timber harvesting.