Archaeological Investigations at The Newell Creek Site (9CH155) Ossabaw Island, Georgia

On June 25-27, 2003, the Office of the State Archaeologist, housed in the Historic Preservation Division of Georgia Department of Natural Resources, participated in an educational program for scouts held on Ossabaw Island, in Chatham County, Georgia. Ossabaw consists of ca. 26,000 acres of marsh, tidal streams, and uplands. With the exception of DNR facilities, a mansion dating to the time when wealthy families and corporations owned the coastal islands, and ruins of structures dating to the plantation era of the late 1700's through mid-1800's, the island is undeveloped. The island was acquired by the State of Georgia in 1978 from Mrs. Eleanor Torry (Sandy) West, a member of the family that had owned the island since 1924. Mrs. West was more interested in preserving the island in a nearly natural state and conducting educational programs and retreats than in developing the island for profit. As a result of her preservation efforts, the island provides a nearly pristine environment for study of coastal ecology. It is maintained by the Department of Natural Resources for educational programs and wildlife management. Under the Ossabaw Management Plan, access is restricted above the high tide line except for permitted activities. In 2002, the Department of Natural Resources entered into an agreement with The Ossabaw Foundation and the Coastal Empire Council of the Boy Scouts of America to conduct educational programs for groups of scouts who would camp at several locations around the island. The program includes presentations by DNR historians, naturalists, and scientists. DNR archaeologists were invited to participate in the program, and scouts were presented information about the history and prehistory of the island, and they participated in the archaeological investigation of site 9Ch155. Investigations revealed occupations from the Late Archaic Period through the early 20th century. The report on the 2002 investigations is on file at HPD and at the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) in Athens. The 2003 program continued with investigation of this site. 9Ch155 is a multi-component site that was known from surveys conducted for Mrs. West in the 1970's. The site again came to the attention ofDNR when Wildlife Resources Division staff noticed human bones exposed in the eroding bluff near the Newell Creek dock. The procedure for dealing with discovered human remains was followed, and after the site was investigated by local law enforcement, DNR archaeologists visited the site, identified the remains as American Indian, and consulted with the Georgia Council for American Indian Concerns to decide on how to treat the remains. Details are provided in a separate report that dealt with treatment of the burials. That report is also on file at HPD. Exposure of the remains demonstrated a clear threat to the site from retreat of the bluff along Newell Creek. The bluffs along Newell Creek are scoured by strong tidal currents that change direction twice each day. In the interest of site management, DNR archaeologists determined that there was a need to collect more information in order to determine the types and location of resources present and the condition of the site. The 2002 investigation established a horizontal datum and a 30-meter grid on the site, measured the distance from a base line to the top of the bluff for monitoring erosion rates, attempted to determine the extent of the site through shovel testing along a cruciform pattern, and tested a brick scatter, which turned out to be an early 19th century house site. The 2002 report provides additional details about that investigation. The 2003 investigation continued work on 9Chl55. The grid was re-established and measurements were again made from a grid line to the edge of the bluff to determine how much erosion had occurred along the bluff in a year. Testing on the 30 meter grid was completed within the grassy field and closer interval shovel tests were dug in an attempt to discern more detail about distribution of components. In addition to shovel tests, another 1 x 1 meter test unit (Unit 202) was excavated near the previous year's unit (Unit 201), which did not reach sterile soil due to a severe thunderstorm that halted the project. This report documents the 2003 investigation.