Preliminary Archaeological Examination of the Glen Mary Plantation, Hancock County, Georgia

The Glen Mary plantation house is an important historical resource in Hancock County, Georgia (Figure 1). The manor is a Greek Revival high-style dwelling that is presently identified as a National Treasure by the Save America's Treasures unit of the National Park Service. The site has also been identified as a threatened historical resource in Scenic America's "Last Chance Landscapes 2002-03" (Cooper 2003; Scenic America 2004). The Glen Mary plantation was nominated for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and listed in 1974 (McGregor 1973). The site also was listed in the Georgia Register of Historic Places in 1973. Glen Mary is the recent recipient of a grant from the Garden Club of Georgia and Glen Mary is an important historical destination on the Piedmont Scenic Highway. The property is owned by Preservation America Foundation, a non-profit educational trust registered in New York. The Foundation's goals for Glen Mary include, "restoration of the mansion and grounds to their antebellum character and recreation of the gardens associated with the plantation" (Colvin 2004). From November 6-8, 2004 the LAMAR Institute examined the front yard of the Glen Mary Plantation house. This work was done at the request of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Division and Preservation America Foundation. Prior to the present study, no archaeological work had been done there and the condition of the archaeological resources that are associated with the plantation and its residents was unknown. These results will be used in pursuing grants for a Cultural Landscape Report, which would, "be a map to identify features of the property, such as specific types of locations of gardens, patterns of circulation, fences, buildings, etc." (Colvin 2004). This report details the findings of the LAMAR Institute's preliminary archaeological investigation of Glen Mary.