History Unearthed on Jekyll
History unearthed on Jekyll
2/25/2009
By ANNA FERGUSON
The Brunswick News
Although Jekyll Island has been a state park for only about 60 years, the land has long been used as a resort area.
It may have been a seasonal stomping ground for individuals seeking refuge centuries ago, say archaeologists who are unearthing artifacts at an island excavation site.
Alex Sweeney and a team from Brockington and Associates, Inc. began excavating and mapping portions of Ben Fortson Parkway, near the Jekyll Island Gas Station, Monday for a planned road project.
Two days into their work, the team found a scene not that common for construction projects. Instead of never ending mounds of dirt and sand, the diggers found artifacts left over from Jekyll’s days gone by.
Shards of pottery and food waste in the form of animal bones from American Indian vacationers have been found.
The ancient evidence of island life has shown area historians what they already assumed from previous digs: American Indians used the island for seasonal layovers, much like tourists do today.
“Jekyll Island wasn’t a traditional village,” said John Hunter, director of the Jekyll Island Museum, who is overseeing aspects of the dig. “It was more of a seasonal camp, almost like the vacation spot it has become in more recent years.”
The area of concentration for the dig has been identified as a place of importance for the island, Hunter said. While it is not rare for excavators to find small pieces of history under the island soil, finding so many in one place could mean that the spot was a prime historical location.
Archaeologists first started survey work on the site in 1994, and it was resurveyed in 2008. They are now visiting the site in greater depth and conducting a more intensive phase of research of examination.
Based on the results of last year’s work, Sweeney described the site as “likely the remains of either a seasonally occupied resource extraction locale or a small village or hamlet.” The prehistoric ceramic shards discovered at the site suggest it may have been occupied beginning about 300 BC, during the Middle to Late Woodland Period, at a time when small seasonal villages were beginning to appear.
It may have been occupied until as late as about 1540 AD, the end of the Mississippian Period and just before European arrival to the area, Sweeney said.
As excavators continue to dig up the earth, they are hoping to be able to map out plans so that construction on the land will not interfere with historic value, Hunter said.
When important artifacts were unearthed in past digs, the pieces were sent to an archaeological lab for further view and either sent back to the museum or to the University of West Georgia for holding and viewing. In this case, Hunter isn’t sure what would happen to any significance pieces. He said it is too early in the excavation process to tell, though he assumes the same process would apply.
But, Hunter warns, it’s too soon in the digging stage to really identify how important the site may be to Jekyll’s history.
“Just because you find a few pieces in one spot, that doesn’t mean it’s the core,” Hunter said. “Just the same, this is very interesting. I’m certainly not an archeologist, but we are very excited about learning things about the island and its people that we never knew before.”
Hunter is encouraging the community to get in on the historical action. An archaeology class from the College of Coastal Georgia, led by Ntungwa Maasha, a professor of astronomy, physics and geology, will examine the site today to get a first-hand glimpse at an archeological dig.
On Thursday, the public is encouraged to visit the site and interact with excavators and historians during a viewing day.
“It’s always fun to involve the public on these digs,” Hunter said. “Everyone learns a lot. Whenever we have a dig on the island, people inevitably come over and want to know what’s going on and what we are finding.
“The first question they always ask is if we have dug up any pirate gold. So you know, we never do.”
BREAKOUT:
The public is invited to Jekyll Island to view the archeological dig and ask questions to historians about the significance of the site. A public viewing will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday at the site on Ben Fortson Parkway, near Jekyll Island gas station. For more information, call the Jekyll Island Museum at 635-2119.
Tags: Archaeology, jekyll island, jekyll island history, Native Americans
