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Our annual public meetings and Archaeology Month events are occasions that expose all that is good about SGA. Our members respond with a great turnout and inevitably we reach a goodly number of others who are just plain curious about Georgia archaeology. The spring meeting at Wesleyan College in Macon was just such an event where, like the spring meeting the previous year, there were over 100 in attendance. And a great many talented and dedicated people worked hard to make all these events a success, as they do year in and year out.

I’m satisfied that there are thousands of people out there with a keen interest in Georgia archaeology, beyond the hundreds we’ve reached for so long. Two new assets of SGA will help us attract and educate them. How ‘bout that ArchaeoBus!? The great unveiling—and christening—happened at Wesleyan in front of a raucous, giddy crowd. And there are now any number of anecdotes from its drivers about interested motorists and onlookers who’ve demanded to know, “Cool—what is this all about!?” And, naturally, we can’t wait to tell them. Then there’s the new edition of the SGA website. It is chock full of wonderful information, all presented in a very attractive and, if I may say so, a pretty classy design. Our webmasters have done a splendid job, but the content our members and others are providing is what ensures ultimate success.

Amongst these bright spots we find challenges, many of which stem from the sad economic state of the world. We cannot help but be dismayed and concerned about the eroding levels of support historic and archaeological sites held in the public trust are receiving. This climate makes it an even greater challenge to secure the future of numerous other, unprotected sites that remain vulnerable to all manner of threats. This includes the predictable uptick in looting that comes with economic downturns. We all will want to find ways to encourage support for the state’s heritage resources, and commit to taking personal steps, like volunteer efforts, that make a difference.

Finally, I look forward to joining you in Gwinnett County for our fall meeting. Look for details in the fall issue of The Profile and on the website. I know that many of us have been very busy this summer in ways that should make for a full slate of wonderful presentations.

Yours in SGA,

Dennis Blanton, President

The sixteenth annual Georgia Archaeology Awareness promotion, Archaeology Month 2009, had as its theme Mounds in Our Midst: Monuments of Prehistoric Culture in Georgia. Our request for a proclamation designating May as Archaeology Month was received and acknowledged by the Governor’s office in March. A number of board members/officers of SGA and Archaeology Month co-sponsors attended the proclamation signing by Governor Sonny Perdue on April 2. Those in attendance included: Tom Lewis, Ryan Kennedy, Joe Joseph, Betsy Shirk, Ray Luce, Dan Elliott, Jim Langford, Carolyn Rock, Dennis Blanton, and Tammy Herron. The 2009 Archaeology Month committee members included Betsy Shirk (co-chair), Tammy Herron (co-chair & lesson plan), Pam Johnson (events), Catherine Long (lesson plan), Mary Beth Reed & Tracey Fedor (poster), Dennis Blanton (program), and Stephen Hammack (meeting arrangements).

In order to make this month-long celebration of Georgia’s rich archaeological heritage possible, the SGA relied on monetary and in-kind contributions from co-sponsors and event sponsors to make this program accessible to the public thereby reaching thousands through this annual promotion. Educational materials along with the archaeology month poster were once again distributed statewide to public middle schools, event sponsors, and the archaeology award winners, albeit with a different twist this year.

Tammy Herron and Catherine Long prepared the lesson plan with a focus on the Etowah Mounds site. We would like to thank Debbie Wallsmith and Adam King for their assistance and contributions to this project. The lesson plan was posted on the SGA website rather than paying for the cost of printing and additional weight in the mailings. New South Associates formatted the document for the website and prepared an attractive flier to include with the posters advertising the link on the SGA website. Special thanks go to Mary Beth Reed and Tracey Fedor for their efforts and attention to detail in making this aspect of the lesson plan possible.

Packaging day

In a further effort to cut production and distribution costs, the brochure listing various events taking place around the state was transformed into an e-brochure by Pam Johnson (now Pam Baughman). This e-brochure was distributed electronically to the SGA officers/board members, chapters for which there was contact information, CRM firms, event sponsors, libraries, museums, and to the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists. The events were also listed on the SGA website. Throughout the state, 16 events and/or lectures were offered, not including ongoing events. Over 2,000 people attended these programs to learn more about archaeology in Georgia.

Once again, we asked Mary Beth Reed to supervise the design and printing of the archaeology month poster. Many thanks to Mary Beth and to the graphics design artist Tracey Fedor for creating an awesome poster! We hope that the information provided on the back of the poster will serve to educate Georgians for years to come. Topics addressed included Georgia Mounds, Noninvasive Archaeology, Preservation of Mound Sites, Resources for Learning More, and Places to Visit. In previous years, the poster was mailed to SGA members; however, due to the rising cost of postage, the decision was made to have the poster available for pick up at the Spring Meeting—another great reason to attend the meeting!

A press release was sent to SGA chapters and to the Historic Preservation Division (HPD) in mid-April. Chapters were encouraged to have the release printed in their local newspaper and asked to report back to SGA Vice President Catherine Long. Information about archaeology month was included in the April 18–24, 2009 issue of HPD’s online newsletter, Preservation Georgia Online, and the Spring Meeting was listed in the preservation events calendar.

Packaging Day—the day when the fruits of our labor all come together—was held at the office of New South Associates in Stone Mountain on April 30. Over 40 volunteer hours were necessary to package and distribute the materials. Those who donated their time to this effort included Mary Beth Reed, Betsy Shirk, Justin Byrnes, Saddana Singh, Tammy Herron, Catherine Long, Cathy Blanford, and Scott Morris.

The annual Spring Meeting was held on May 16 at Wesleyan University in Macon with a crowd of 103 in attendance. An interesting array of presentations was compiled by President Dennis Blanton who was in charge of coordinating the program for the day. While the majority of the presentations focused on the archaeology of mound sites throughout the state, the audience also received an update on the preservation efforts at the Fort Daniel site in Gwinnett County and learned about the documentation of the Flat Rock African-American Cemetery in DeKalb County. Presenters included Kevin Kiernan, Dennis Blanton & Inger Coxe, Tom Whitley, Keith Stephenson & Frankie Snow, Tom Pluckhahn, Jim D’Angelo, Adam King, Scot Keith & Dean Wood, Jared Wood, Mark Williams, and Jeffrey Glover & Georgia State University students. Karen Smith and Keith Stephenson displayed a poster entitled “Analysis of Vessels from the Shelly Mound in Pulaski County, Georgia” as well. Stephen Hammack is to be commended for coordinating all the local arrangements, including hitting the pavement soliciting coffee and refreshments for the meeting.

Spring meeting scenes

The highlight of the day was the long-awaited unveiling of the ArchaeoBus (A.B. or Abbey for short), following the list of presenters. The rain ceased just in time for this special occasion. If you were not there, you missed a real treat! As Rita Elliott spoke about the project, Dan Elliott and Ellen Provenzano removed the tarp unveiling the beautiful design on the exterior of the bus. Tom Gresham christened Abbey with a bottle of champagne, and President Dennis Blanton blessed the vessel by placing a bough of bamboo on the front bumper. Dan Elliott turned the crowd into a kazoo band, door prizes were presented, refreshments were enjoyed, and everyone finally got to venture through the Archaeobus to see the incredible exhibits on display. Hats off to Rita, Tom, and the members of the Archaeobus committee for all of their hard work in making this “pie in the sky” dream become a reality. We know that as Abbey hits the streets of Georgia, more and more people will become aware of the importance of archaeology and the preservation of historic sites across the state.

	Scenes from the Archaeobus unveiling

Those who were brave enough to wait out the rains Saturday evening and night and face the mud and biting insects on Sunday morning received another special treat. Approximately 25 courageous individuals hiked into the swamp under the leadership of park rangers from Ocmulgee National Monument to tour the Lamar Mounds and Village site. What an adventure and a privilege to see these two mounds dating to the Mississippian period and to learn more about the builders and inhabitants of the site. Did you know that the spiral ramp leading to the summit of the Mound B is the only one known in existence?

Once again, the SGA reached thousands through its Archaeology Month program! We realized our goal of raising public awareness of the importance of our state’s archaeological resources through the distribution of posters and educational materials and the education of those attending the archaeology month events that celebrate our state’s rich archaeological heritage.

With the crash of a champagne bottle over her fender, a new green bough laid upon her, the cadence of a drum roll, and the suspenseful unveiling of the tarp, Abby the ArchaeoBus was officially christened. Over 70 guests participated in the historic event during the spring Archaeology meeting in Macon on May 16, 2009. The gray skies and rain throughout the day did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm, and only served to give Abby a fresh bath prior to her debut. The showers ended just in time for the big event. As part of the ceremony, guests won door prizes and participated in a rousing kazoo rendition of “The Raiders of the Lost Ark” theme song. This was followed by an array of pink refreshments, including a cake with Abby’s likeness. Guests also had an opportunity to tour the inside of the bus and see the new exhibits and storage spaces. Thank you to all who attended!

Special thanks go to the many people who made the event successful. This includes Ellen Provenzano (wedding and special events coordinator extraordinaire); Betsy (I can get you a personalized yummy cake at a bargain rate) Shirk; champagne specialist and multi-tasker Tom Gresham; drummer Dean Wood (did I hear he played with the Stones before Slant Six?); unveiler, kazoo lead, and all around groupie Dan Elliott; official bough-layer Dennis Blanton; Abby button makers Tammy Herron, Betsy Shirk, Carolyn Rock, Jamice Meschke, Jim Langford (“HOW many buttons are we making???”); and the many photographers of the event. Stay tuned as the ArchaeoBus Committee and SGA Board review and finalize the guidelines for Abby’s work.

Since our initial implementation of the revamped website early this year, we’ve continued to add stories and make sure the new material can be found. We continue to work toward making our Society’s website useful and informative to students, educators, researchers, and those with an interest in our human past.

Now that there’s substantial material on the website, we’ve given you three ways to find material of interest to you. In short, they are 1) a hierarchical listing conforming to a “site map” (not the archaeological kind!); 2) a search box, where you can enter any word, phrase, or even number you are interested in; and 3) a tag cloud. You can see all three on the right-hand side of all pages of our SGA website. At the top is the hierarchical listing, then the tag cloud, and at the bottom, the search box.

The most obvious way to find stories on the website is to use the hierarchy listed vertically on the right, atop the sage green bar. Everything on the website is linked to at least one of these categories or subcategories. These categories are topical to the Society and the website, including, for example, calendar, ArchaeoBus, Archaeology Month, Publications, and Chapters, as well as SGA’s inner workings, such as the Endowment Fund, our bylaws, our vision and mission, and the like. Expect these to be expanded somewhat in the near future, as the ArchaeoBus team produces more materials and stories.

View of web page, scrolled down to show all three zones on the sage green “navigation” bar.

You may also have noticed that we implemented a search box, shown at the bottom of the sage green bar on the right, far below the hierarchy. You can type any topic or word of interest in this box, including phrases and numbers. For example, if you were interested in primitive technology, you could type in that phrase, or “knapping.” That would produce a list of the stories or entries in which that word or words were used. The listing will be newest to oldest, with the most recent story at the top.

We have very recently implemented a third way to find stories of interest: tags. On this website, tags are words or phrases that cross-cut the hierarchical listing. Not every story has been tagged, because some are “housekeeping” stories and out-of-date, for example, notices of upcoming meetings and the like. Instead, the tags focus on topics likely to be useful to those interested in the archaeology of Georgia rather than the Society itself. After all, the latter is well-delineated in the hierarchical listing. Thus, the tags focus on archaeological topics and content that researchers may be interested in.

Look between the hierarchical listing and the search box for the tag cloud, entitled “Tags.” All those words and phrases jumbled together into a single list are the tags currently used on this website. The tags are presented in what is called a tag cloud, because the shape resembles the blobby shape of a cumulus cloud (the stylized kind you see in a coloring book). Tag clouds are a specific type of word cloud. Word clouds are generated from any set of words (e.g., the Declaration of Independence, this article, the Bible), whereas tag clouds are special word clouds generated from just those words used as tags.

Word clouds are a visual representation of the frequency of words and phrases within a given text (can range from a sentence to a webpage, etc.). The relative size of the font of the words indicates how frequently they are used in the given text. The larger-size tags in the cloud on our website have been used more frequently. As time goes on, and more stories are published, and therefore are tagged, the shape and size of the tag cloud on our website will change.

So, our website’s tags use what words and phrases? At present, they include rough time periods (e.g., Paleoindian, Woodland, Postbellum, Twentieth century), a few general artifact types (e.g., lithics, glass, nails), a few places (e.g., Fort Daniel, Etowah, Kolomoki), and other topics of interest like stewardship and outreach, excavation and survey.

The list of tags is not exhaustive, so remember you can also use the search box above the tag cloud to find stories relevant to your interests.

NOTE: Should you be interested in making a word cloud, you can visit this Wordle page and create your own. Here’s a Wordle-generated word cloud for this story that uses multiple colors, allows some words to be portrayed vertically, has rounded corners, and discards common words like “and” and “the.”

The South Georgia Archaeological Research Team, a chapter of the Society for Georgia Archaeology, has scheduled their 2009 Symposium for August 15th at South Georgia College in Douglas.

The topic of the symposium is the archaeology of the Southeastern Coastal Plain.

The meeting will be held in auditorium in Stubbs Hall (the Science Building).

The morning session will begin at 8:30 AM and continue until noon. Presentations will resume at 1:30 PM and continue until about 5:00 PM.

The Program Planner is S. Dwight Kirkland, 367 Julian Minchew Road, Douglas, GA 31533. Phone 912.309.9637

SOGART’s annual symposia are highly regarded and well worth attending.

In the past month MESDA has more than doubled the number of Georgia-made objects in its collection MESDA will debut these new acquisitions in a special exhibition opening October 1, 2009.

“Georgia has always been an important part of the MESDA South,” said Robert Leath, Vice President of Collections and Research and Chief Curator. “With our acquisitions over the past month, MESDA has finally achieved a long-term goal of better representing Georgia’s craftsmen in its collection.”

The earliest known Georgia sampler, a piece of needlework worked by Mary Smallwood (1761–1791) in the late 1700s, is among several new objects that have been added to the MESDA’s collection. Her sampler joins nine other acquisitions, including the Dozier family corner cupboard, made in the 1840s as part of the original furnishings for White Oak Plantation, Oglethorpe County; a watercolor of a painted bunting by early-nineteenth century Georgia naturalist John Abbot (1751–1840); and a one-drawer inlaid table made in the 1830s by farmer-cabinetmaker Thomas J. Maxwell (1804–1869) for his own family in Elbert County. Many of the recent acquisitions are from the pioneering Georgia decorative arts collections of Florence P. and William Griffin, Georgia natives devoted to the arts of their home state.

A piece from MESDA's Georgia collection.

These objects join a small but important collection of Georgia objects already at MESDA, including a table made by Salzburger settlers in the 1730s—the earliest known piece of Georgia furniture—and architectural elements from a paneled room erected near Warrenton, Georgia in the late eighteenth century.

On October 1, the public will have a chance to see the collection in an exhibition titled, “Georgia on its Mind: Georgia Decorative Arts in the MESDA Collection.” The works will be on display in the G. Wilson Douglas, Jr. Special Exhibition Gallery at the Frank L. Horton Museum Center at Old Salem.

For more information, call the Visitor Center at Old Salem at 336-721-7350.

About MESDA

The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) is the preeminent center for researching, collecting, and exhibiting decorative arts made and used by those living and working in the early South.  MESDA is one of three museums at Old Salem Museums & Gardens.

About Old Salem

Old Salem Museums and Gardens in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is one of America’s most comprehensive history attractions. Its three museums—the Historic Town of Salem, the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) and The Toy Museum at Old Salem—engage visitors in an educational and memorable historical experience about those who lived and worked in the early South. The Web site address is www.oldsalem.org.

May 23 was a great Archaeology Identification Day in Augusta. Rain threatened all day long but in the end, there were 160 visitors who came to the 1797 Ezekiel Harris House on Broad Street. Roughly 15 people brought in artifacts to identify and several AAS members brought in frames of artifacts for display.

Archaeologists with expertise spanning the Paleo-Indian through Historic periods were on hand to identify and classify artifacts and artifact collections. Several Paleo-Indian and Dalton period projectile points were formally recorded. Artifacts from local sites were on display.

Atlatl throwing went on for most of the day, and the flint-knappers thoroughly enjoyed working with each other, comparing notes and ideas while entertaining the public. Visitors got to see educational displays by the Savannah River Site Archaeological Research Team and the Cultural Research project at Fort Gordon.

In other news, Danny Greenway, John Arena, David Black, Bobby Strange and John Whatley met with Smithsonian archaeologist Dennis Stanford and Dr. Al Goodyear’s group at the Clariant Chemical Company picnic area on Saturday May 31. Clovis and pre-Clovis sites and artifacts were discussed and Dr. Stanford looked at a lot of material from local Georgia collections. The possibility that some artifacts could point to a European Solutrean connection was discussed. On Monday evening June 1, Dr. Stanford gave a more formal presentation covering his theory of a Solutrean migration to eastern North America. This program covered a number of pre-Clovis sites in eastern North America including dates and photos of artifacts. Of particular interest was a large bi-point blade dredged off the Virginia coast associated with mastodon remains dated to over 22,000 years before present. Danny Greenway, Emory Fennell, Bobby Strange and John Whatley attended this session.

The AAS continues to help the Archaeological Conservancy with checking on the Stallings Island status in order to do what we can to help with the care and preservation. Diane Black and John and Andrea Whatley met with Mark Michael, Conservancy President from Albuquerque, and Jessica Crawford, Southeast Regional Director on April 22. At that point it appeared that all the goats placed on the island to browse off vegetation had been killed by predators. A later visit by Jessica Crawford and George Lowery during which they laid down more barbed wire on the bottom of the fence turned up two surviving goats. We plan to manage herbicide spraying and support the Conservancy in their future plans.

Speaking of goats, John Whatley and Bobby Strange worked with local collectors identifying artifacts at the Goat-A-Rama in Tennille April 11. Rosanne Stutts sent electronic copies of our Central Savannah River Area hafted bi-face guide to collectors contacted at this event. Contacts from the Goat-A-Rama led to a follow up with collectors on May 9 at the home of Charles Denton in Deepstep, GA. We were joined that day by archaeologist Jerald Ledbetter and primitive skills technologist Scott Jones. John Whatley worked with the Ocmulgee Archaeological Society at an artifact identification day in Gordon on April 18.

University of South Carolina archaeologist Adam King spoke to our group at our April 17 meeting concerning remote sensing at Etowah and Macon Plateau. The mapping results shown from the remote sensing data at Etowah were truly amazing. At the meeting that evening, copies of Jerald Ledbetter’s 1995 report on the Mill Branch site in Warren County, were distributed, courtesy of Virginia Horak of the Park Service’s Southeast Archaeological Center in Tallahassee.

Our next scheduled meeting will be Friday evening August 21 at Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Q, 2821 Washington Road in Augusta. Our speaker will be Augusta historian and Director of the Center for Georgia History Study at Augusta State University, Lee Ann Caldwell.

For several years, our spring event has been a lecture that we sponsor with the Savannah College of Art and Design. This year on April 8, our speaker was Dan Elliott of the Lamar Institute, who talked about his excavations on Ossabaw Island in “Tip of the Iceberg: Archaeology and Architecture at North End Plantation, Ossabaw Island.” He began with a description of the three existing tabby slave cabins, then went on to discuss evidence of many more structures found beneath the ground surface—the 90% of the iceberg! The venue for the event was in the SCAD Student Center, an interesting architectural renovation of an old synagogue.

Our Annual Meeting is still in the planning stages, but should take place in late June or early July. Anyone in the Savannah area wishing to join us is welcome. Please contact Chica or Carl Arndt at (912) 920-2299 or Carndt2651@aol.com for more information.

Skip Hopkins at the Helm of the FDF

Catherine Long trains young archaeologists

Jim D'Angelo Pitches Ft. Daniel Park Master Plan

Members of the Keith Family Tour Ft. Daniel

The Gwinnett Archaeological Research Society (GARS) and the Friends of Fort Daniel (FFD), recently announced that FFD has reorganized as The Fort Daniel Foundation (FDF). The new organization will be a non-profit, tax-exempt entity that can receive donations and grants directed at the on-going work at the site, including site preservation.

In connection with these efforts, on May 2 GARS and FDF held a Frontier Faire at the site as part of the Georgia Archaeology Month celebration. Several members wore period garb including Skip Hopkins, a direct descendant of General Allen Daniel, who had a period general’s uniform made especially for the occasion. A Fort Daniel “museum,” featuring conserved Fort Daniel artifacts, was presented by site historian Shannon Coffey in a large War of 1812 re-enactment wall-tent purchased by GARS through private donations. In another area, GARS members erected a half-scale portion of the palisade wall and corner blockhouse that corresponds to features excavated in what is believed to be the southwest corner of the fort. Logs for that activity were donated by Chad Stephens through the efforts of Skip Hopkins, and stone was purchased, at a discount, from supplier Roy Strickland by member Wayne Waldrip. SGA Vice President and past president of GARS, Catherine Long, led several young people in the excavation of a unit that revealed still another portion of the palisade wall trench. Children also enjoyed screening ‘salted’ buckets of dirt, thanks to the efforts of members James and Betty Kinsaul.

Other activities included story telling and re-enactments with a period militiaman (Bruce Maney), a Scot frontiersman (Tim Hall), and a blacksmith (Doc Watson). With an estimated 250 persons attending, the Faire was also the occasion for the debut of the Fort Daniel Historic and Archaeological Research Park master plan developed by jB+a Inc.’s Raigan Carr and made possible through a Georgia Trust matching grant. Phil Hoskins, Director of Gwinnett County Community Services, which included the county’s Parks and Recreation program, attended the Faire and was favorably impressed with the site and the plan. The county will be meeting sometime in June or July to assess the current status of SPLOST funds from which the land for the proposed park would be purchased, but given the dramatic drop in tax revenues, the outcome is anything but certain. We will keep you posted…

GARS archaeological advisor, Jim D’Angelo has also announced that the Gwinnett County Site Assessment Project, approved by the GCPA three years ago, has been revived after being shelved while excavations at Fort Daniel and at Creekside Shelter left no time for other projects. Five GARS members, under Jim’s supervision, have begun the process of locating previously recorded sites so that they can be visited and their condition evaluated. Priority will be given to sites that were recommended eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, followed by sites whose eligibility was undetermined. Ineligible sites and isolated finds will not be re-visited. Though the project will probably take a couple of years to complete, it is anticipated that some useful cultural resource management information will come out of the study.