An Underwater Archaeological Remote Sensing Survey and Diver Investigation for the Proposed Liberty Harbor Marina, Glynn County, Georgia

W.W. Group Holdings of Beachwood, Ohio, is proposing to build a marina within a segment of the Brunswick River, south of Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia. Construction activities associated with the proposed project include piling installation and vessel anchorage that may impact submerged cultural resources within and adjacent to the proposed marina location. Due to the potential for submerged cultural resources in the vicinity, as well as in compliance with Federal legislation, W.W. Group Holdings, contracted Environmental Services, Inc. (ESI), of Savannah, Georgia, to conduct a remote sensing survey (Phase I) of the areas of proposed impact and related areas of potential effect (APE). The remote sensing survey was conducted during December 2005. High-resolution side scan sonar and magnetometer data revealed thirty-two anomalies within the proposed marina location, with a high concentration along the northern shoreline adjacent to the former J.A. Jones Construction Company Brunswick Shipyard. Twenty-four of these anomalies were unidentifiable in the field and produced single point source and clustered magnetic signatures characteristic of potentially significant cultural resources. Gantry crane supports associated with former slipways were observed in the vicinity of some of the anomalies; however, shallow water conditions along the shoreline adjacent to the former shipyard limited the acquisition of side scan sonar data there. As a result, the acoustic and magnetic data sets had limited correlation. The absence of an acoustic record for correlation along the shoreline prevented accurate interpretation of the area's archaeological potential; hence, diver investigation (Phase Ib) was conducted in March 2006. All the magnetic anomalies were identified using a metal detector and visual inspection, and consisted of metal debris (e.g., piping, fasteners, spikes, etc.) related to former shipyard activity or modern objects. Although the former J.A. Jones Construction Company Brunswick Shipyard possesses a national level of significance under Criterion A of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), based on the results of the investigation, the proposed marina will not impact any potentially significant or National Register eligible cultural resources and no additional investigations are warranted. It is recommended that the proposed project be granted clearance without concern for impacts to significant cultural resources within the waterway.