Phase II Testing of Three Archaeological Sites (MC267, 9MC391, and 9MC392), Townsend Bombing Range McIntosh County, Georgia

Phase II investigations were conducted by Brockington and Associates, Inc. at three archaeological sites at Townsend Bombing Range, McIntosh County, Georgia. These sites, 9MC267, 9MC391, and 9MC392, were initially recorded during a survey of selected portions of the bombing range property. The three sites evaluated for this project were recommended potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) at that time. Grover et al. (1997) indicated that these sites offered potential to provide new information about human adaptation to marginal areas in the Coastal Plain of Georgia. These eligibility evaluations will enable the Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort to better manage and conserve significant cultural resources while executing the installation's mission. These investigations were conducted in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (NHPA 1992), and 36 CFR Part 800: Protection of Historic Properties. To determine the research potential (and consequently, the NRHP eligibility) of sites 9MC267, 9MC391, and 9MC392, each site was evaluated based on its ability to add new and significant information about current regional research topics. Thus, this investigation's primary objective was to evaluate the integrity of the archaeological deposits at each site by evaluating the site's ability to address specific research topics. These research topics include: cultural chronology, artifact assemblage, and subsistence patterns. Phase II investigations of these three sites has shed light on the prehistoric and historic exploitation of marginal environments. This exploitation appears to be based on the micro-environments found within wetlands containing abundant resources. Utilizing the data on these three sites and on the other sites located within or on the fringes of wetlands in McIntosh County, it can be speculated that population pressure in this area was not severe. Rather, the data recovered during these investigations reflect an adaptive strategy that exploited all available resources, regardless of their location. Based on the results of this investigation, none of the three sites meet the criteria established for NRHP eligibility. Each of these sites has served to illuminate prehistoric and historic exploitation of the interior Coastal Plain in McIntosh County, but none of the three sites contain deposits sufficient to warrant further investigation. Sites 9MC267, 9MC391, and 9MC392 do not retain sufficient intact archaeological deposits to warrant further NRHP consideration. These three sites are recommended ineligible for the NRHP, having fulfilled their research potential at this level of investigation. No additional management should be required of these sites.