GMAS » BRAG + NoGAG

There is both bad news and good news in the story of SGA’s chapters. First the bad news: sadly, the Georgia Mountains Archaeological Society (GMAS) in Gainesville is no more. The good news is that there is a new SGA chapter rising in north Georgia. The Blue Ridge Archaeology Guild (BRAG) is meeting on the third Thursday each month at North Georgia College and State University (NGCSU) at 7:00 pm in Young Hall.

The new club is made up of community members from Dahlonega and the surrounding area, and meets regularly with the newly-formed student club, the North Georgia Archaeology Guild (NoGAG). Each group has 20–25 potential members on their mailing lists. Since both groups are still in the formative stages, actual membership is hard to define, but it is expected that each will have 15–20 members. They will undertake projects together as they become available. Their differing schedules will allow different members of the two groups to work on various projects, depending on the time of year, semester calendars, holidays, and so on, throughout the year.

BRAG officers include Jason Norsworthy, President; Rob Jones, VP; Beni Gail Head, Secretary; and Gary Northcutt, Treasurer. NoGAG officers are Kyle Duncan, President; Megan Parks, VP; Ginni Walker, Secretary; and Amber Cannon, Treasurer. Drs. Jack Wynn and Tamara Spike are the professional advisors for the groups. By-laws are being prepared for BRAG, to be adopted shortly and submitted to the SGA for approval as a new chapter. By-laws for NoGAG are being reviewed by committees within the University for acceptance as an official University student club.

The clubs began monthly meetings in late August, 2009. So far, the initial programs have been general how-to sessions. One person called them “Archaeology 101 classes.” They have included impromptu talks about Georgia archaeology and prehistory, artifact identification, methods and techniques, and ethics, and lively discussions of what the members want to learn and to do. Those attendees who had not seen it were encouraged to read the Dickens and McKinley book, “Frontiers in the Soil, The Archaeology of Georgia,” from the Carl Vinson Institute at UGA, which they can order online.

The groups worked together to assist Forest Service Archaeologist Becky Bruce-Vaughters in preparing a total station map of CCC Camp Woody (GA F-1) in the Suches community of Union County, on October 31. Later they will assist her in surveying new wildlife openings in the mountains. Additional field and laboratory projects are planned for December and after the New Year begins.

The creation of these two new groups was announced at the Fall SGA meeting at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center in October.

The Georgia Mountains chapter (GMAS) is looking for a few good men and women with a strong archaeological interest in field survey, recording sites, and investigating prehistoric and historic occupations here in northeast Georgia. Enthusiasm for the outdoors, hiking, canoeing, drawing, artifacts, history, and photography are considered assets, but of course are not required.

Come help rebuild the SGA chapter, based at Elachee Nature Science Center near Gainesville. We plan field trips on the Nature Preserve and elsewhere in north Georgia, and show-ntell programs from our own and outside speakers’ experiences. We currently meet the first Saturday each month at the Elachee Center, but may meet elsewhere as a project or program dictates.

We need lots of interested amateurs, with or without experience, and some professionals as co-advisors. Apply at once to chapter president Dan Page (twoowls@bellsouth.net), or current advisor Jack Wynn (jtmfwynn@windstream.net). Our next meeting is December 6, beginning at 10 AM. See you there!

Fred, doing what he loved.

Georgia archaeology lost an enthusiastic advocate upon the premature death of Fred Scheidler on July 15th. Fred resided in Marietta and in recent years had become a constant and welcome participant at a host of archaeological gatherings in and around Atlanta.

Archaeology was a lifelong interest of Fred’s, having become smitten with the subject as a boy in Florida. One of his favorite stories involved the discovery and preservation of a dugout canoe deep in the woods near his childhood home.

In support of the Society for Georgia Archaeology he cheerfully served as President of the Bulloch Hall chapter based in Roswell and as Publicity Chairman of the Greater Atlanta chapter, in addition to maintaining active membership in the Northwest Georgia and Georgia Mountains chapters. It is safe to say that there wasn’t an archaeological endeavor Fred didn’t love and he gave generously of his time by volunteering countless hours wherever he could. He was ever eager to relate storiesof his volunteer experiences, whether inventorying collections at Chieftains in Rome, assisting with a geophysical survey at Etowah, excavating in the northern hills or on the lower Ocmulgee, or working with collections at Fernbank Museum of Natural History. Fred is remembered in fact for his interest in carpooling to out-of-town events where he would regale like-minded friends with these and other stories.

Fred’s passion for archaeology inspired him to pursue numerous other projects independently. At any time he might have been found researching abandoned mines north of Atlanta, seeking to explain the accidental discovery of a brass “thunder mug” cannon, or tinkering to design better equipment for the field or lab. Most recently Fred was generating what became a much-loved electronic newsletter called “Great Dirt.” In numerous issues recipients were not only alerted to upcoming events relevant to archaeology, but they were treated to virtual excursions to projects around the globe.

Fred is survived by his wife, Carol Scheidler, and a son and daughter-in-law, David and Lauren Scheidler. The family recommends honoring Fred’s memory with donations to either:

The Society for Georgia Archaeology
Endowment Fund
c/o Secretary
P.O. Box 693
Athens, GA 30603

Fred Scheidler Memorial Fund
Episcopal Church of the Annunciation
1673 Jamerson Rd.
Marietta, GA 30066

Georgia Mountains Archaeological Society (GMAS) members hosted “Georgia Archaeology Day at Elachee” on Saturday, May 10, in the large classroom at our sponsor’s Environmental Education facility near Gainesville. There were exhibits on the various projects the club members have been involved in, field and laboratory techniques used by archaeologists, and experimental archaeology exhibits such as pottery making and stone tool making kits. In addition, there was a big exhibit on African cultural items brought to the U.S. in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century by the medical missionary grandfather of John Widdowson, one of our members who is also active in the Bulloch Hall chapter.

On June 7, 11 of our crew made a canoe trip down the Chestatee River to observe and photograph remains of a nineteenth-century gold dredge. This was a huge structure that has been stranded in place for over a century, and is gradually disintegrating and being vandalized by river floaters over the past few years. Club members are trying to find official support and financial assistance to salvage portions of this important Georgia cultural resource before the combination of weather and vandals remove the remains forever. At the very least a HABS/HAER recording should be made of the vessel and its remaining parts. One of the GMAS members, engineer Brian Babcock, has made scaled drawings of the portions of the barge that are clearly visible, augmented by earlier photographs showing parts no longer present. He and chapter President Dan Page have visited and recorded it for several years.

View of the gold dredge (photo courtesy Eric Timms).

The next stage would be to record and salvage the major metal operating parts (chain pulley, two smaller pulleys, shift levers, (suction pipes, and other assorted metal items) before they are removed and show up on eBay or in some private collection. The size of the barge is probably too large to consider removing and preserving it intact. The barge is partly imbedded in the river bottom and under slumped sidewalls of the river. The metal parts will require electrolytic treatment to retard further rusting before they can be used in an exhibit. Treatment of wooden parts may also be required before exhibiting them.

Contact has been made with the Gold Museum in Dahlonega, and they appear happy to cooperate. Communications have begun with other state agencies and professionals on the process of salvaging at least parts of the gold dredge. If you wish to assist in this project, please contact State Archaeologist Dr. David Crass or members of the Georgia Mountains Archaeological Society.

The Georgia Mountains Chapter continues with the members’ interest and research into the Gainesville limestone and lime production industry. Most work lately has been into the historic records of the industry in the Gainesville area, and crews have revisited the kiln reported here earlier, and found additional constructions in the vicinity. Some members are also recording old boat remains along the streams and rivers of north Georgia. Now that the water levels are so low, it is possible to see, measure, photograph, and record wrecks and remains of boats, dredges, rafts, and so on along the river bottoms.

The September meeting was indoors due in part to the heat, and focused on the recording, mapping, and reporting of sites found, and how to fill out site forms for the Georgia Archaeological Site File. There was also a report on recent archaeology in Peru, with photographs by chapter advisor, Jack Wynn.

One of the most exciting steps GMAS members have taken recently is the establishment of the chapter’s own website, by chapter President Dan Page and member Brian Babcock. It is now up and running, with loads of photographs, and will continue to be improved and updated from time to time. To see what they have produced, and to follow current and planned activities, see http://GMAS.clubspaces.com where Dan and Brian are sharing the latest adventures of the chapter members in the Elachee Nature Preserve as well as along the streams of northern Georgia.

GMAS meets the first Saturday each month at 10 AM at the Elachee Nature Science Center, south of Gainesville, and new members are welcome. For additional information see our website.

The GMAS Archaeology Chapter met on Saturday, July 7, 2007 at the home of Jon Hoekstra, professor at Gainesville College, and resident of Chicopee Mill Village, which is adjacent to Chicopee Woods. Jon hikes in the woods and often ambles along stream beds in the area in search of interesting flora and fauna. One day while hiking, he spotted a rock wall and went to investigate. He was intrigued by the design of the structure, which was more than six feet high and contained two semi-circular openings. He presented pictures of the structure to the chapter meeting, and members determined that the ‚“rock wall” was actually a kiln of some sort.

The purpose of the July meeting was to investigate the structure, clean, measure, and photograph it. GMAS and Elachee Board members hiked to the site, south of the Gainesville airport. The kiln was overgrown with poison ivy vines and Virginia creeper. Fallen trees and thick brush covered access to the two kiln openings and made ground reconnaissance difficult. GMAS volunteers used rakes to clear away leaves and other debris, while other volunteers pulled vines and cleared brush. No artifacts were noted on the surface.

Overall kiln measurements were taken, as well as measurements of the two ‚“eyes”, the openings which help to regulate air flow (Figure 1). Measurements were also taken of the top of the kiln, which was a bowl-like depression in which a large tree was growing. The roof of the kiln was thought to have collapsed on itself, but later research has indicated that the structure was open to the elements in order to regulate the fire. Brian Babcock created scaled CAD drawings from the measurements (Figure 2), to be included in the report on this project.

Figure 1. View of ‚“eyes” for ventilation and access on front of Chicopee Lime Kiln.

Reconnaissance was also made of a nearby undeveloped property, which was found to contain large limestone outcroppings. The existence of these outcroppings near the kiln indicates that the structure was used for making lime rather than pottery or some other function. Limestone from the adjacent property is thought to have been transported to the kiln and then fired into lime.

A small stream that parallels the kiln had a man-made rock wall along it, which might have served as a base for a wheel or flume to bring water to the kiln site.

In addition, Jon Hoekstra has indicated that a similar facility, possibly another limestone kiln, is located nearby, but is extremely overgrown.

Further work on the lime kiln will include close-order shovel tests between the kiln and the stream, research on land ownership, and further research on the construction and function of limestone kilns and their use in the community.

Following the field exercise, chapter President Dan Page began library and local-informant research and learned the following details about the kiln.

This structure is referred to as a ‚“groundhog” kiln, since it is set partly into the hillside. This is an early style, single-charge kiln, which fired only one load at a time. It used wood as fuel, and was unloaded through the vent holes or ‚“eyes” near the base. The open top allowed the lime to be piled from above the ‚“kettle” area. Limestone was available within 100 yards of the kiln, and is still visible. Many local farms had similar small kiln facilities near limestone outcrops to produce lime for their own use.

Figure 2. CAD drawings of Chicopee Limestone Kiln.

Later the lime industry expanded, providing a large source for cement, fertilizer, and other uses. Transportation improved, other fuels became available, and many of the kilns became free-standing structures. These were capable of continuous firing, and did not have to be closed down to empty or refill the ‚“kettles.”

Further background research on limestone kiln operation and its economic and social importance is continuing by chapter members. Further field research will wait until fall leaf-off, to allow easier access and visibility in the area.

Members of the Georgia Mountains Chapter have recently conducted a preliminary test on the newly discovered Hummingbird Hill Quartz Quarry on the Chicopee Woods Nature Preserve near Gainesville.

A few months ago, Elachee volunteer “Doc” Johnson recognized a spread of quartz rocks on the lower part of a ridge nose in the preserve as a possible quarry site. He called Elachee Nature Science Center’s CEO Andrea Tempone’s attention to it, and then led chapter advisor Jack Wynn to inspect it. Soon after, Primitive Technologist Scott Jones was invited to examine the site, and with Wynn, plans were made to grid and possibly test the site.

Once the plans were made and SHPO notified, the GMAS members met on Saturday, February 4, to grid the site and begin the test. They decided to do very limited testing on the 20×50-m quarry area, in part because of the steep location. There was concern that digging there might exacerbate the already severe erosion into the Walnut Creek area. It was also expected that a limited amount of data could be retrieved from such a resource area, since it did not show signs of being used for finishing artifacts.

The test team was first composed of Lorraine Norwood, Erin Andrews, Joe Randazzo and his son Joseph Randazzo, supervised by Wynn. They began with a small, 50-cm test unit, more or less in the middle of the site area, and excavated it by 10-cm levels, parallel with the slope. The excavation methods included screening and removing all the stone from each level. The amount of stone there was truly amazing. The first work day, the crew removed nine bags of stone to the lab for washing and identification. Since it all had to be hauled uphill all the way back to the vehicles, the amount and weight of the stone became important.

Joseph and Joe Randazzo, Lorraine Norwood, and Erin Andrews working on the site.

The crew was so stimulated by the project the first day that they returned on Saturday, February 18 to finish the test into the red sandy clay subsoil at about 35 cm below surface. That day, they were joined by David Hughes, Janice and Tom Bagwell, Greg Britt, and site’s discoverer, Doc Johnson. At the base of that level, most of the square was taken up by large quartz boulders, but the crew still removed 5-6 bags of materials. Lab cleaning and analysis was conducted that day by Dan and Diedre Page, Pat LoRusso, and David Hughes.

The club members have begun the washing and examination of the stones removed, but much remains to be cleaned and sorted. They have found a few flaked tools and some bipolar percussion pieces, as well as lots of general shatter. Once it is all cleaned and initially sorted, Scott Jones has agreed to examine it for additional indications of stone working techniques.