Exploratory Excavations at Fort Hawkins, Macon, Georgia: An Early Nineteenth Century Military Outpost

Fort Hawkins was established in 1806 as a frontier military fort by the United States Army to deal with the Indians and was abandoned in 1821 (Butler 1879:59-60 and Dollar MS). The area where this fort was located is a historic site of local, state, and national significance. The absence of firm historical documentation with which to establish a definite plan or sketch of Fort Hawkins made it impossible to complete the information necessary to establish this fort on the list of the National, Register of Historic Sites. In November, 1970, a study was initiated by the Institute of Community and Area Development, University of Georgia, for which Stanley South, Archeologist with the Institute of Archeology and Anthropology, University of South Carolina, acted as consultant. Mr. South was asked to submit a proposed plan for archeological investigation of Fort Hawkins. The study was conducted at the request of Dr. Louis De Vorsey, Assistant Professor of Geography, University of Georgia, who, being an historical geographer, has conducted detailed historical research on Fort Hawkins, and Mr. John Waters, Assistant Professor of Environmental Design, and Project Director. The study revealed that no building plans or sketches had ever been found which could substantiate the exact dimensions of this structure. Therefore, it was proposed that a two-week archeological investigation be conducted that would essentially determine the original dimensions of the fort, heretofore unknown, except by descriptions which tended to vary between four (Bryan MS) and fourteen acres (Butler 1879:60). The archeological work was proposed to; (1) Expose the palisade ditch and trace its extent as nearly as possible, (2) locate the northwest blockhouse ruin, and (3) determine the overall configuration of the fort. The nature of the archeological investigation would be essentially architectural in design. The palisade ditch would be revealed, in its existing locations, specifically through archeological techniques. Any important features located such as wells, cellarholes, refuse pits, interior structures, etc. would be mapped, but not excavated.