Submitted by Tammy Herron
It is hard to believe that the 20th Georgia Archaeology Awareness promotion has come and gone! Hopefully though, the Spring 2013 meeting will linger via the memories that were made, whether through seeing old friends, making new friends, or learning new information about Georgia’s past. I wish to thank each and every person who worked to make the meeting in Macon such a success. Those of you who were unable to attend the meeting and tours of Ocmulgee and Fort Hawkins missed a great event! We received a warm welcome from the staff of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (GSHF) and gleaned much information from the interesting and informative papers presented during the morning session. Thanks to each of the presenters and to Matt Newberry for serving as emcee.
SGA members enjoy lunch and admire posters from each of the Georgia Archaeology Awareness promotions.
It was truly an honor for me to be able to present the George S. Lewis Archaeological Stewardship Award to Mrs. Ann Grant for her dedication and support of the preservation of the Fort Daniel archaeological site in Gwinnett County. This award was established in 1998 to recognize contributions made by members of the non-archaeological community toward the preservation of the archaeological record. Mrs. Grant’s continual collaboration with Dr. Jim D’Angelo to see the property through to its preservation could not go unrecognized by the SGA.
Mrs. Ann Grant receiving the George S. Lewis Archaeological Stewardship Award from SGA President Tammy Herron.
Although the skies opened up and poured forth rain throughout the morning session, the sun returned during lunch—just in time for the afternoon tours of the Great Temple Mound, Trading Post Site, and Southeast Mound at Ocmulgee National Monument led by Dan Bigman, and Fort Hawkins led by Marty Willett and Dan Elliott. If you find yourself traveling near or through Macon, I encourage you to stop in and visit both of these wonderful sites that are striving to preserve Georgia’s history! Pretty soon, Fort Hawkins will sport a brand new Visitor Center to showcase the early history of Macon.
Tour group atop the Great Temple Mound at Ocmulgee.
Tour group at Fort Hawkins.
I would also like to take the opportunity to extend special thanks to SGA members who helped make the Spring 2013 meeting a success. Pam Baughman, SGA’s Secretary, coordinated the local arrangements for the meeting in Macon. I think it helped a little that she is married to the Curator of the GSHF, Ben Baughman. Special thanks to Pam for being the anchor in Macon and to Ben and the rest of the staff at the GSHF for making us feel at home throughout the meeting and allowing the members to tour the facility. I can’t thank Catherine Long enough for her continued support of the organization as Immediate Past President (thanks for your advice and allowing me to bend your ear on far too many occasions). I wish to thank Leslie Perry for sending out the press release to numerous entities far and wide, as well as Mike Harrell of the Ocmulgee Archaeological Society for pounding the pavement to advertise the Spring meeting locally.
Members of the Ocmulgee Archaeological Society and SGA Board Members stayed busy handing out the most recent issue of Early Georgia and selling Frontiers in the Soil and back issues of Early Georgia.
Our theme for Georgia Archaeology Month 2013 was “Digging and Diving into the Past: Celebrating 20 Years of Georgia Archaeology Awareness.” The theme and poster design selected this year tie in nicely with the Summer Reading Program sponsored by the Georgia Public Library Service. Their themes this year include: “Dig into Reading” for Children; “Beneath the Surface” for Teens; and “Groundbreaking Reads” for Adults. How could archaeology tie in any better than that? Materials associated with Georgia Archaeology Month were once again distributed to middle schools across the state. I wish to extend special thanks to our co-sponsors for assisting in our efforts to further the Society’s vision of reaching out to all Georgians and helping them understand the significance of archaeological sites so that they support archaeological preservation, education, and research. Our co-sponsors this year included: Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc., Georgia Council on American Indian Concerns, Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists, Historic Preservation Division – Georgia Department of Natural Resources, LAMAR Institute, New South Associates, and TRC. Without the support of organizations such as these, we would not be able to reach as many members of the public as we do.
I would also like to extend a special thanks to Amanda Morrow for the design concept of the 2013 Georgia Archaeology Month poster and to Vince Macek of TRC in Norcross for his graphic assistance with the poster. SGA is immensely indebted to TRC for hosting Poster Packaging Day once again—thank you Brian and Larissa Thomas. This event was held on Wednesday, May 8th, and TRC graciously allowed us to use its lab space once again to stuff poster tubes and package the tubes for delivery to schools throughout the state. Volunteers that assisted with this event included: Carole Boyce, Tammy Herron, Catherine Long, Frank Perry, Leslie Perry, and Allen Vegotsky. Twenty-nine volunteer hours were logged throughout the course of the day.
You may have noticed sharp new t-shirts for sale at the spring meeting. These t-shirts commemorate the 20th Georgia Archaeology Awareness promotion, and incorporate elements from Frontiers in the Soil and the 2013 poster. Special thanks to Amanda Morrow and Matt Newberry for tackling this project and seeing it to fruition. There are still plenty of t-shirts available, so please contact Tammy Herron or Matt Newberry. Hopefully, you will be able to place your order online soon, so keep checking the website for this option. The cost of each t-shirt is $10.00, plus shipping and handling.
SGA members at the 2013 Proclamation Signing Ceremony in Atlanta. Pictured left to right with Governor Deal: Richard Moss representing Edwards Pitman Environmental, Inc.; Pamela Baughman – Secretary of the SGA and representing the Georgia Department of Transportation; Lyn Kirkland – SGA Board Member; P. T. Ashlock – SGA Board Member and representing the Southern Expeditionary Archaeological Research & Cultural Heritage Institute; Tammy Herron – President of the SGA and representing the Savannah River Archaeological Research Program; Leslie Perry – Vice President of the SGA; Catherine Long – Immediate Past President of the SGA and representing the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center; David Crass – Division Director & Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, Department of Natural Resources – Historic Preservation Division; and Scot Keith – President of the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists and representing New South Associates, Inc.
Our request for a proclamation designating May as Georgia Archaeology Month was received and acknowledged by the Governor’s office. SGA board members and officers, representatives from Georgia’s archaeological community, and the Department of Natural Resources – Historic Preservation Division attended the proclamation signing ceremony with Governor Nathan Deal on the morning of Tuesday, May 21st at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta. Click here to access a PDF of the Proclamation.
By now, I hope that you have received the latest issue of Early Georgia via the US mail. Those who attended the Spring meeting were able to pick up the Spring 2013 issue of Early Georgia: The Profile Papers II hot off the press thanks to Tom Gresham. Tom graciously swung by the printer in Athens on his way to Macon so that Volume 41, Number 1 would be available to the membership at the meeting—thanks Tom! This issue is a compilation of selected articles published in The Profile from 1992 until 2009, when the newsletter changed to a digital format. I hope that you enjoy this compilation of articles and that it becomes as well used as its predecessor, The Profile Papers: Technical Papers From the First 75 Issues of The Society for Georgia Archaeology Newsletter: August, 1968 – March 1992. This issue would not have been possible without the aid of Sammy Smith and J. C. Burns. Sammy served as Guest Editor of the issue, and J. C. worked out the kinks on the technical side of things, as well as provided the cover
Please visit the website often for updated postings regarding archaeology in Georgia, including issues that may call for immediate action on your part. Consider submitting an article for the website if you visit an archaeological site on your travels throughout Georgia this summer! Chapters please remember to submit information about your meetings and activities, too. We are always seeking submissions.
One last note, please take time to renew your membership for 2013! If you have already done so, then I thank you immensely. Remember that you can join and/or renew even faster and easier now via credit card payment online by clicking here. Chapters that have not renewed, please take time to do so as well. I hope that you have a great summer! Remember to wear sunscreen, drink plenty of water, and watch out for those ticks on your archaeology adventures!
—Tammy Herron, President
Posted online on Monday, July 22nd, 2013