Archaeology
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Current News 04/09/07
The Phase II report on the archaeological survey of Lock three and Five is to be submitted to SOC this week. The report finds that there are no reasons against recommendation of archaeological excavation of both locks and their turning basins. Most important aspect of the project is verification that the tree covered slope west of Lock Five is the Lock keeper’s House, and that the foundations of the building appear to be largely intact. Artifacts found on the site suggest that the house was last occupied in the 1860-70s and may have burned shortly after that period. This is a tentative conclusion based on test pits and three excavation units.
Since the site is on private property, work will continue with private funds. Currently students of Armstrong Atlantic University are working on the site under the direction mark Newell PhD. The site is important in that no keeper’s houses have ever been excavated on southern canals and important new insights into the operation of the Savannah Ogeechee Canal may result.
Steps ahead include meeting any additional requests for information from the Corps of Engineers and the State Historic Preservation Office. Once this process has been completed, the third phase of the project will begin. This will include the application to the Corps for a permit to excavate Lock five and the its turning basin. The CORPS will be involved as thi sis now a tidal wetland. Lock Three may require a permit or may not depending upon the Corps opinion – there is water present underneath the soil surface bit this may not mean that it qualifies as wetland. Since the entire canal is a National Register Monument, the concurrence of Federal and State agencies should be sought in any event. Once approvals and permitting is complete work can begin on preparing the locks and basins for excavation.
9/19/06
Field archaeologist David Purvis continues to work on the program of test excavations on the Lock 5 Lock Keeper's House site (Mark Newell is on a quick consult at the University of California San Francisco and will be back shortly). In the meantime, test units (one meter squares) are producing substantial quantities of artifacts. More signs of structures (walls) are being excavated, supporting early indications that we have a number of structures on the site. The artifacts continue to suggest that we are in the middle of a domestic area. "Every test pit and unit appears to tell us that we have a very rich site complete with domestic artifacts and structures.
"This is the first site of its kind and is very exciting in terms of what it can tell us about the Savannah-Ogeechee Canal and the way its lock keeper's lived, " said Newell.
The test phase of the project will end soon. Plans are now being made to develop an excavation plan for the lock keepers' complex to start in the next few months.
9/11/06
Exciting Finds at Lock Five
As you know, over the past few weeks we have been excavating test pits near Lock Five to determine if the area is in fact the location of the Lock Keeper's. The results have been much better than expected. Test Pit 14 reveled a brick wall - as a result we opened up a 1 meter square in that location and found the corner of a building including walls approx 4 feet high and a nice solid brick floor. This may be a basement - it may be the ground floor with a great deal of earth and debris around it. The indication is that we have substantial building remains on the site, as well as a quantity of artifacts with a date range concentrated in the 1830s.
In terms of the study of 19th century southern canals, this much material pertaining to a lock keeper's house has never been found before. This means that the site has the potential for revealing - for the first time - exactly how a lock keeper's complex was built, its various functions and the way the lock keeper and his family lived.
This may make the site extremely important to American industrial history. Work will continue over the next two weeks on the excavation of additional test pits and test units (1 meter squares) in order to develop further information about the extent of the building remains. The data recorded so far (very preliminary!) suggests that we have a brick building surrounded by a perimeter wall, also of brick.
Early in October, work will begin on taking core samples of the turning basins (assuming Corps permit permission has been received for Lock 5) in order to determine the depth of sediment in the basins and the contours of the original basin. This will help develop an excavation strategy and will determine the original profile of the basins for the restoration phase of the project.
Volunteer help is needed!! We need help clearing bush, screening for artifacts and other duties - please contact me (see end of page) if you are interested.
Mark Newell
706 399-6813 Mobile
803 753-9531 Fax
http://homepage.mac.com/marknewell/
09/05/06
Archaeological Illustrator Christine Madigan will be at the SOC museum center Thursday though Saturday morning to prepare preliminary drawings of artifacts found at Lock Three and The Lockeeper's House site at Lock Five. These will be used to make final drawings for the Report on the Phase II archaeology which will be wrapped as soon as the Corps of Engineers approves a permit for test excavation in Lock Five and its turning basin.
In the meantime, work continues mapping the debris piles and completing text excavations on the Lock Keeper's house site at Lock 5. Visitors are welcome to drop by see the illustration work.
Plans are underway to allow visitors to watch the archaeology at the Lock Keepers House site.
8/25/06
Archaeological work continues on several fronts on Locks Three and Five. At Lock Three preparations are underway to complete the testing of the lock. Next step will be completion of core samples across the remains of the turning basin at several locations. This will hopefully enable us to detect the layer of "puddling" - the original layer of clay used by the canal engineers to 'seal' the bottom of the canal bed and turning basins. The core sampler, a tube that penetrates the soil and retrieves a core the can be removed and studied, will be used to 'punch' cores across the remains of the turning basin to a depth of at least one meter (3ft). The bottom of the core should reveal a distinct layer of colored clay. Core measurements are then used to determine the original profile of the basin. This information is used to guide excavation of the basin (the next phase of the archaeology program after the testing is complete on both locks) and the later restoration of the the basin to its original shape and condition.
At the same time, work continues on site testing and mapping of the suspected lock keeper's house on the Ron Bishop property west of lock Five. As part of this project, we have 'exhumed' all of the artifacts recovered years ago from the lock keeper's House at Lock Three. We are completing a catalog of the artifacts (a catalog apparently was not completed during the original excavation) that will then enable us to make a comparison between Lock Three and Five.
At the Lock Five house site, a transect has been cut through the area and 90 degree offsets used to locate test pits. A test pit is a 23cm x 23cm square hole (that's the width of a square shovel blade). Fifteen such holes have been dug so far from depths of two feet to four feet deep. All the pits have produced brick and mortar rubble, indicating the presence of a substantial brick building, possible more than one, on the site. Test Pit fifteen came down on a fragment of a standing brick wall. The pit was opened up to a one meter test unit (3 feet square) and this revealed the corner of a building with bricks four courses deep revealed so far. Artifacts recovered range from clear, green , amber and black glass shards from bottles and pressed wares, and also pottery sherds ranging from stoneware jugs to plates (blue transfer wares and poly-chrome - multi-colored- wares. Also some sherds of Mocha ware. Most of these materials date to the first half of the 19th century, consistent with the period of greatest activity on the canal.
There is some evidence of pot hunting on the property. Until more ground clearing is done (see The Volunteer Front below) it will not be known how extensive this has been.
Next/Pending Projects
Lock Keepers House Lock 5: Work will continue on the Bishop property. Additional test pits are to be dug and at least one more one meter test unit will be used to explore other areas where brick rubble concentrations have been found. All the brick rubbles piles in the area will also be mapped.
Lock 5 Testing in Lock & Basin: After consultation with the Savannah Corps of Engineers, a permit application has been made for testing of the soils in Lock 5 and the Lock 5 turning basin. Each of these areas will be tested during low tide on the Ogeechee, when the water level in the lock and basin will be at its lowest. Test Pits and Test Units will be excavated on the east side of the lock to explore features noted next to the lock wall. At this point the testing phase of the archaeology program will be complete and enough information will have been gathered to determine how complete excavation of Locks Three and Five, and their turning basins, should be conducted.
Public Access to Archaeological Work: Plans are being formulated for public access to the ongoing archaeological work at Lock Five. This will give locals and visitors a chance to walk securely into the various areas where excavation is being conducted, watch the progress of the excavation, and interact with the archaeological staff. The planned access will also provide an opportunity for schools to plan archaeological field trips for classes. This activity will also generate revenue and public interest for the SOC.
The Restoration Project
Restoration of the locks and the turning basins will require a wide range of "19th Century" skills from historically accurate bricklaying/masonry to carpentry using methods of the early 19th century. Also, 19th century blacksmithing skills will be needed to fashion new wrought iron fittings from gate dogs to heel post hinges and fastening spikes and many more such items. Planning for the restoration phase is very preliminary - archaeology work has to be completed first - but even at this stage we know we will want to do as much of this work as possible on-site where it can draw daily visitors and generate income and public interest for the SOC. Contact has already been made with the American Canal Society, historic wrought iron experts and other groups who may eventually be able to contribute skills and knowledge to the process of restoration. All of the work will be done in close cooperation with the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office which governs work impacting properties on the National Historic Register.
Press/Media:Projects & News Releases
The Volunteer Front
Volunteers are needed for almost every aspect of the archaeological work. Cutting and clearing brush, screening soil for artifacts, cleaning & field cataloging artifacts, preparing ares for excavation.....if you have time to donate days or weekends, please contact us.
Stuff We Really Need!
As archaeological work progresses on the canal, temporary needs will arise that can best be met by the loan/donation of equipment, services and supplies. The Savannah Ogeechee Canal Society is a recognized 501c3 corporation and a letter of fair value for services and equipment loans can be provided to donors for tax deduction purposes.
These are current needs:
Loan of wood chipper to dispose of brush cut on the Lock Keeper's House Site
Treated lumber for construction of portable walkways for visitors to archaeological sites
Hardware for portable walkways.
Archaeology Contacts
Mark Newell, Mail: Georgia Archaeological Institute POB 984, Augusta Ga. 30903
email: marknewellspam@mac.com (delete spam) Phone (706) 399-6813
681 Fort Argyle Road * Savannah, GA 31419
(912) 748-8068 * Fax: (912) 748-0805
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