Significant
Archaeological Sites
The following are some of the most significant sites investigated by archaeologists: Gregg Shoals - This site, located on the banks of the Savannah River at its confluence with Pickens Creek, was one of the more important areas undergoing archaeological investigation. Excavation and testing recovered cultural evidence spanning almost the entire range of human occupation in the New World. The Gregg Shoals profile serves, in a sense, as a Rosetta Stone, which by its very completeness allows the geologist and soil scientist to piece together a picture of the changing valley landscape over the last 10,000 years. Rucker's Bottom - Another major discovery helping to rewrite the prehistory of this region was made at the site of Rucker's Bottom. Located on the Savannah River to the north of the confluence of Van Creek, this site contains the only undisturbed evidence of Paleo Indians (10,000 - 8000 B.C.) in this part of the Savannah River valley. Among the deepest deposits at the site was a Clovis projectile point - a hallmark of the Paleo Indians. These are overlain by preceramic and ceramic components, and include the remains of pole structures, numerous hearths, pits and urn burials. Traces of at least two semicircular ditches were tentatively identified as fortifications fronting the river and encompassing about one and one-half acres. Beaverdam Creek
Mound and Village - This site, located in Elbert County, Ga., on
Beaverdam Creek near its junction with the Savannah River, was occupied
by late prehistoric Indians between A. D. 1200 and 1500. It featured a
small village area with a single ceremonial mound. Dwellers at this site
belonged to the Mississippian Culture (see chart), which is generally regarded
as the peak of prehistoric cultural development in the eastern United States.
Inhabitants practiced agriculture, hunting and gathering -- which afforded
food surpluses allowing population growth, elaborate art development, ceremonialism
and the emergence of a complex social organization. The site probably served
as the residence of a major chief and may have been a ceremonial center
for a territorial or religious precinct. About 50 burials were recovered
from the mound and village area. One burial within the mound was that of
a young man whose skeleton was adorned with "offerings" that included a
copper headpiece and ear spools and more than 7,000 shell beads. These
trade items reflected an individual's high status, caste or importance
within the group.
Excavated site at Gregg Shoals
Millwood -
Located on the Savannah River about 5 miles west of the town of Calhoun
Falls, S.C., Millwood was the site of a large plantation built in 1833.
The plantation was constructed by James E. Calhoun (Colhoun), brother-in-law
and cousin of John C. Calhoun, American statesman and Vice President of
the United States. Millwood was a concentrated village allowing overseers
to exercise control over about 200 slaves, livestock, storage facilities
and workshops. One of the first structures built was a gristmill and millrace,
completed in 1834. Turbines for the mill were powered by water with a 14-foot
drop. Excavation of the site uncovered the foundation remains and debris
from about 45 structures inhabited until 1889. In all, Millwood consisted
of about 10,000 acres of land. Major crops were cotton and corn. After
the decline of the cotton economy following the Civil War, Calhoun faced
great financial losses. The concentrated population of tenants, overseers
and slaves were dispersed to about one house per 30-40 acres. Large fields
were replaced by numerous small ones, and a network of roads was built
to maintain contacts. Calhoun managed to keep most of his land by renting
to tenants and by renting the use of water power and a gold mining operation.
Following Calhoun's death in 1889, a board of trustees continued to rent
and manage the estate. The main village became a locally popular "resort"
in the early 20th century. Duke Power Company acquired the property in
the 1940s to develop hydroelectric power. Upon learning of the plans for
the Richard B. Russell Dam and Lake project, the company used the land
instead for pulpwood cultivation.
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Drawings of Fort Independence based on archaeological findings
Alexander-Cleveland House - One of the few examples of 18th century frame housing and among the very oldest structures in Elbert County, Ga. The plain-style house, originally part of the "lost" town of Edinburg, was a two-story mortice-and-tenon structure with several one-story additions. Fire destroyed the house in August 1982 following acquisition by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Richard B. Russell Dam project. William Allen House (Beverly Plantation) - A two story frame house, currently a residence, incorporating one of the oldest remaining structures in Elbert County: a two-story central portico, added about 40 years after the initial construction of the house. It is an interesting rural adaptation of the classic revival style of architecture. The site is significant in that it is an extant Georgia plantation dating back to the earliest days of settlement in Elbert County. Reuben J. Anderson Farm - A farmstead built by a typical independent piedmont farmer who farmed between 50 and 200 acres after about 1920. The buildings on the farmstead are variants of traditional southern farm buildings. They serve as an illustration of the various aspects of traditional Piedmont agriculture, including food storage and preparation, land cultivation and raising livestock. The residence and several surrounding buildings were destroyed by fire in early 1984. W. Frank Anderson Farm - A working example of the evolution of a small 20th century Piedmont farm. The traditional southern farm buildings on the tract reflected the handiwork of the owner and the changing need of his agriculture operation. Fire destroyed the residence in 1982. Dye-White Farm - Owned by the only
black man in the Heardmont community to accumulate a sizeable acreage without
inheriting all or part of his land. A barn, smokehouse and one-story, center-hall
house were the only structures on the farmstead when White moved there
in 1926. There were 37 outbuildings associated with the farm at the time
of acquisition by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1979.
Caldwell-Hutchison Farm - A farm featuring a two-story log dogtrot house and log smokehouse dating from the late 18th or early 19th century. Featherstone Farm Tenant House - This log structure illustrated vernacular building techniques in the upper Savannah River region. Harper-Featherstone Farm - A collection of farm buildings dating from the ante-bellum period to the 20th century. It was also significant as the site of Harper's Ferry, which served as a transportation link between the Lowndesville community and trade centers in Elberton and Ruckersville, Ga. Harper-Featherstone Farm Tenant House - A log structure expanded by frame additions to adapt to changing needs. Long-Hutchison Farm Tenant Barn - Features an early 20th century barn constructed of round logs joined with saddle notching. The barn is in a dogtrot plan, with a central open aisle on the first level and a second-story loft. The house is a late 19th-century frame structure. Blackwell Bridge - (see page 10) Pearle Cotton Mill and Dam - An industrial archaeological site once serving as the focus of a mill village known as Beverly, Ga. The factory was built in 1895 and represented a locally significant industrial enterprise that played an important role in the local community. Abbeville Hydroelectric Power Plant - Featured a multiple-arched reinforced concrete dam and its original 1940 turbine installation. Georgia-Carolina Memorial Bridge - An 11-span, reinforced-concrete arch bridge which crossed the Savannah River between Elbert County, Ga., and Abbeville County, S.C. The bridge was dedicated on Armistice Day 1927. At the time it was one of the largest reinforced-concrete bridges in the southeastern United States. Gregg Shoals Dam and Powerplant - Among the early low-head hydroelectric plants in America and historically associated with the major power companies in the southeastern United States. The plant began operations in May 1907 and produced electricity until September 1954. Sanders Ferry Bridge - Built
jointly by Elbert County, Ga., and Anderson County, S.C., in 1927, this
bridge established an important transportation link across the Savannah
River on the Cotton Belt Highway from Anderson to Jacksonville, Fla., and
exhibited important features of the American system of pin connections.
Smith-McGee Bridge - A well-preserved
example of a Camelback Truss bridge exhibiting features of the American
system of pin connections, this three-span structure was built in 1922
as a toll bridge across the Savannah River.
Investigation of the cultural resources of the Richard B. Russell Dam and Lake area has produced a wealth of information on the Georgia-South Carolina Piedmont. Much of this information is in the form of written documents and reports which have been, or will be, distributed to regional libraries. Some of these documents, but not all, have been mentioned in this brochure. Individuals may contact the Savannah District, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, to obtain further information on the various studies. U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah
Project Manager
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Page
Abbeville Hydroelectric Power Plant ..........................................................................9,
21
Alexander - Cleveland House .....................................................................................8, 20 Allen, William, House
Anderson, Ruben J., Farm
Anderson, W. Frank, Farm
Beaverdam Creek Mound and Village
Beverly Plantation
Blackwell Bridge ...................................................................................................9, 10, 21 CaIdwell - Hutchison Farm .........................................................................................9, 21 Cleveland House
Dairy Barn (Harper - Featherstone Farm) ....................................................................10 Dye-White Farm .........................................................................................................8, 20 Eureka (See Grogan House) Featherstone Farm (See Featherstone
Featherstone Tenant Farm ........................................................................................9, 21 Fort Independence ...............................................................................................6, 17, 18 Frank Anderson Farm
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GA/SC Memorial Bridge ..........................................................................................9,
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Page Georgia/South Carolina Memorial Bridge .............................................................. 9, 21 Gregg Shoals Dam Power Plant ..........................................................................9, 10, 21 Gregg Shoals (Archaeological Site) ..............................................................................16 Grogan House ............................................................................................................8, 21 Harper - Featherstone Farm .....................................................................................9, 10 Harper - Featherstone Tenant Farm .........................................................................9, 21 Hutchison Farm (See Caldwell - Hutchison; also Long - Hutchison) Long - Hutchison Farm ..............................................................................................9, 21 Memorial Bridge (See GA/SC.) Millwood Plantation ....................................................................................................6, 18 Pearle Cotton Mill/Dam .............................................................................................9, 10 Railroad Bridge (SCL) ................................................................................................9, 21 Ruben J. Anderson Farm ............................................................................................8, 20 Rucker's Bottom (Archaeological Site) .........................................................................16 Sanders Ferry Bridge .................................................................................................9, 21 Seaboard Coast Line Railroad ...................................................................................9, 22 Smith - McGee Bridge ................................................................................................9, 22 Wellhouse (Harper - Featherstone Farm) ......................................................................10 White Farm (See Dye-White) William Allen House (Beverly Plantation) .............................................................8, 10, 20 W. Frank Anderson Farm .............................................................................................8,
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