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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.
 
 



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Excavated site at Gregg Shoals


Archaeologists at Rucker's Bottom site


Beaverdam Creek Mound and Village excavation


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Fort Independence - The site of this 18th century frontier homesite and militia outpost is located on the Rocky River about 5 miles south of Lowndesville, S.C. The fort underwent full excavation in 1981, as well as an intensive documents search, to fully explore its archaeological resources and historical contexts. The location was determined through a combined oral history and archival research project. Investigations have shown that the fort started out sometime in the third quarter of the 18th century as a fortified frontier homesite plantation built by Captain Robert Anderson. Such outposts were built to encourage settlement of the Piedmont and to provide protection from the Cherokees, who were allies of the British. Fort Independence was purchased by South Carolina in 1777 and garrisoned with an independent company as an official military station. It was burned by Tories in early 1779. Archaeologically, the fort was found to be a log stockade with three bastions, surrounding a log plantation house. Excavation of the site revealed foundations that were intact and well preserved. Artifacts included ceramics such as dishes, glass wine bottles and medicine vials; silver knee-buckle frames; and brass buttons and shoebuckle frames. Archaeologists also recovered 313 prehistoric artifacts, such as projectile points of various kinds. The prehistoric remains indicate that the site was occupied from Early Archaic through Middle Woodland times (see chart, with the primary occupation during the Middle Archaic period. The number of prehistoric hunting and butchering tools suggests that hunting and meat processing were site activities.

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
 


Site of Fort Independence
 


Millwood Plantation
 
 


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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.
 
 



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Grogan House (Eureka) - A center-hall home typical of mid-19th century dwellings in the area. The granite block foundation, chimney and fine hearths represented the earliest known use of locally quarried granite. The house was central to a community known as "Eureka Mills" for the nearby mill which was active until the early 20th century.

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.
 
 



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Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Bridge - This 24-span plate girder structure was the first permanent railroad crossing of the Savannah River above Augusta and played a critical role in shipment of granite from Elberton's newly founded granite industry. It spanned the river between Abbeville County, S.C., and Elbert County, Ga., for 1,790 feet.

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
Corps of Engineers
ATTN: Public Affairs
P.O. Box 889
Savannah, GA 31402-0889
Phone: (912) 652-5822

Project Manager
Richard B. Russell Dam and Lake
4144 Russell Dam Drive
Elberton, GA 30635
Phone: (706) 213-3400
 
 



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Page 
 Abbeville Hydroelectric Power Plant ..........................................................................9, 21

Alexander - Cleveland House .....................................................................................8, 20

Allen, William, House
(See William Allen House)

Anderson, Ruben J., Farm
(See Ruben J. Anderson Farm)

Anderson, W. Frank, Farm
(See W. Frank Anderson Farm)

Beaverdam Creek Mound and Village
(Archaeological Site) .......................................................................................................16

Beverly Plantation
(See William Allen House)

Blackwell Bridge ...................................................................................................9, 10, 21

CaIdwell - Hutchison Farm .........................................................................................9, 21

Cleveland House
(See Alexander Cleveland House)

Dairy Barn (Harper - Featherstone Farm) ....................................................................10

Dye-White Farm .........................................................................................................8, 20

Eureka (See Grogan House)

Featherstone Farm (See Featherstone
Tenant Farm) ..............................................................................................................9, 21

Featherstone Tenant Farm ........................................................................................9, 21

Fort Independence ...............................................................................................6, 17, 18

Frank Anderson Farm
(See W. Frank Anderson Farm)
 
 



                                                                                                                                        24
Page 
GA/SC Memorial Bridge ..........................................................................................9, 21

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, 20
 
 


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