*Basic information about the history of Fort Stewart and places therein can be found on the second half of this page.*
Since so many people ask me what I do, I thought I'd explain it once so I can just send you here and you can learn lots and lots instead of getting a quick and muddled response.
First of all, my official title is Archaeological Field Technician. That basically means I work "in the field" or outside wherever we are actually searching for "stuff". "Stuff" can be historical: stoneware, pane glass, bottles, bricks, chimney or house structures, etc or prehistoric: flakes from tool knapping, pottery (sherd or whole), hammer stones, etc. Any of these artifacts shows that at one time there was human occupation in the area. We are searching for any of these artifacts in hopes of finding a "site". There are two types of sites: isolated finds, and regular sites, given different names according to what is found.Once a site is found, paperwork can be submitted to the government for consideration into the National Registry of Historic Places. This means it has federal protection against being destroyed or disturbed. It does not mean they always try to preserve it, but rather keep it in its naturally deteriorating state. If there is funding available the site can be preserved or removed and placed in a safer environment.
What part in all this do I play? Do we find dinosaurs or those really neat Megalodons (sharks)? Unfortunately, that wasn't us. I'd be surprised if we were lucky enough to even hear about one of those being discovered in the area near us (although there was one shark tooth somewhere around here but it could be a rumor). You'd either have to be lucky or dig down very very deep to find a dinosaur. And since the area we are working was once undersea, there are probably NO dinosaurs here. It's sad but true. Just Indians. And a lot of settlers (people from countries like Spain, England, France, and other areas.
I used to work for a company called Panamerican Consultants Inc. in Hinesville, Georgia. You won't find this office on their website because it's tiny, but we did the things they describe there. Our office worked on terrestrial (or in the ground) archaeology. In laymen's terms, diggin' holes. We worked on an Army base, Fort Stewart, which is in size the largest army base in the US. The area was huge, about 35 miles long and well, a huge area. I was never good at math so I'll refrain from giving any more specific details. They'll be wrong, so just imagine: BIG.Panam is a CRM company, or Cultural Resource Management. Our job was one of three phases of archaeology.
But wait, you're not doing real archaeology? Well, a long time ago before I was born, in 1972 in fact, Nixon, the former President, declared that all government land had to be surveyed by 1992, 20 years later. It's 2004. You do the math. They just want to make sure they're not destroying anything of significance when they play war games or have loggers strip the land. That was our job, to make sure we found, or didn't find, things of cultural significance.
Water!! Important. Field Techs have been known to pass out and die, being discovered a year later as their sun washed bones hide underneath a tree in hopes of escaping the sun. Water is your best friend.
Food: Food is essential and a source of mid-day lunch break discussions. Particularly those about which stores are having sales and the best way to keep guacamole from going yellow.
Sunscreen/Suntan lotion: This all depends on whether or not it's the beginning of the summer or not. Either one is nice to have around to renew that just went to the beach look, without the beach, bikini, or fun.
Pen/Pencil/Marker: Used for writing information on paperwork, flagging tape, bags, etc.
Paperwork: To keep track of all the information you collect throughout the day.
Compass: Keeping track of direction. Good for walking in straight lines, and not getting lost. Of course if you're not paying attention, not getting lost is not an option. Sometimes a compass can help you get even more lost.
Bug Spray: self explanatory
Radios: optional that summer. Don't ask why. We use them to call for help. Maybe we've been bitten by a snake or have broken our leg but the bossman won't buy batteries so we'll just crawl to the truck if we are dieing and hope someone hears our cries for help.
Flagging Tape: Engineer's blue/white and pink/black plastic rolls of tape, used to mark where "shovel tests" are done, to keep straight lines, and to denote boundaries, or positive tests.
Clothing:
Pants with pockets for putting things in
Good sturdy shirt for either keeping cool/warm or taking off when it gets too hot.
Hat/Bandana- self explanatory
Boots should be sturdy and preferably snake proof. In case you're bitten.
Snake chaps are optional. I don't use them because I am fearless and kind of dumb. My first boss had a snake wrap around his leg and he went screaming through the woods "like a little girl." Kind of funny, but good warning. Snakes and legs= bad.
Chigger Pants: Another of my previous boss' favorites. Simply nylon stockings to keep chiggers off.
We start by looking at a map of the area and dividing it up into smaller sections depending on how big the area is. We also use the metric system. Once everything is divided up, baselines are laid out. A baseline is a line, marked with engineer's tape (we use blue and white), to let us know when to stop walking. Each baseline denotes the boundaries of an area.
The following are some terms associated with archaeology, and many are explained on my Shiloh page, so go there to read and see more.
We then dig holes in a grid of 30 meters for low probability (of finding an artifact) 45 for high prob. This also depends on where you're located. In some states, like Florida, the shovel tests are 25 or even 20 meters apart, and one meter by one meter wide (as opposed to our 30 centimeters). We also have an average of 30 to 75 centimeters in depth, as set up by the National Park Service standards.After digging the hole, the soil is pushed or shaken through a 1/4 inch screen to determine if it is positive (artifacts found), or negative. Then the hole is measured, colors are recorded, as well as stratigraphy and soil type. If it is positive, we wait until all the shovel tests are dug, and then delineate the area. This is basically digging more holes to determine how large the site is and the density of artifacts.
Artifact types:
chert/ quartz, flake, Indian sex stone, sherd, glass, bottle lines, stoneware, ceramics, plastic, colored glass: amethyst, clear etc
Hazards:
I didn't see this the first time.
Then I noticed what I almost stepped on!
Employees: Hi! We're here to train you and work with you. Let's initiate you poor new innocents by telling you some tall tales. Our favorite is about the snakes. There are snakes out here. You will see these. (I saw four this summer and believe me, it's not a fun thing to come upon). See, rattlesnakes are out in the woods everywhere. Being quite sneaky characters, they like to build their nests in palmettos. Palmettos are like palm trees but on the ground with big leafy shoots and they grow in big huge patches so you can't see the ground, like those palmettos over there that we are going to send you through by yourself! Good luck, have fun, and make sure your lines are straight and you work fast.
Other helpful tips:
Beware of mosquitoes, you will get the West Nile Virus. Also ticks; a coworker of mine is quite sick from a tick bite, he was in the hospital last year from a tick bite. We hoped it wasn't West Nile Virus. [Actually, he was updated to the status of the first case of Lyme Disease in the state of Georgia, and our company warned us to be careful about this.] Use DEET. It kills/deters bugs. It also kills/deters small animals and will make you very sick. Don't get it on your skin, or breathe it in. Wash your clothes after applying it, and let them dry far away from food or things that you might touch (It really does say not to get it on you and wash your clothes after applying).
Military: This is a bomb. There are many types of bombs. Bombs can be dropped, placed, thrown, etc etc. Bombs are usually inert, or safe. Sometimes they aren't. Then they can go boom. If you find a bomb, go away. Don't pick it up, move it, touch it, move near it, sneeze, or breath. If you happen to not see it, and use your radio within 100 meters, it will probably go off. If you don't die you may loose an arm or leg, or something else very painful. You will probably see a bomb but don't worry, we'll come out and get it for you. Oh, by the way, if you see one bomb there are more. Have a great day. Nice knowing you.
I just have to add, living alongside the military is a great source of entertainment. They are rarely seen but interesting to talk to when you come upon them. It's usually a bunch of guys hanging out by an encampment. There's also the spooky noises we hear that turn out to be loud speakers for pretend POW camps. My brother-in-law and a few friends from school are a military guys. I get a kick out of their stories. Plus, they are the dirtiest bunch of people I've ever met. If you don't believe me, go find someplace they were camping. It's like a junkyard. They also get those little MRIs with food... Which makes me laugh because army people always complain about them, but I've had a few during the winter and they're not so bad. They come with a package to warm them up in and were nice when it was so cold. The best part is the outer cover, which states something along the lines of "To heat, open bag, place food inside heater bag, and place hot bag against a rock or something." No I didn't make the last part up. It says... "a rock or something."
If you're still reading this, you can send your application to your local CRM office, or look up Shovelbums.org for more exciting career possibilities. Please check out my Links page for some information on good career opportunities. I promise I'll be more serious.
In working in and around Fort Stewart, I picked up some information and stories about the area. Some may be a little off, so don't take anything specific as a definite. I'm still working on checking the dates.
Fort Stewart is a large base, mostly contained in Liberty County, Georgia. It's centered around Hinesville, which was originally a small town. The actual base (on post) is a rather small area. Everything surrounding is just training areas.
Many small towns were located on Stewart before the base was set up. Some of them included New Ebenezer, Old Jerusalem, and others. The industry was turpentine (made by processing sap from pine trees) and naval (also a pine tree product). Today there are a few buildings here and there but the numerous cemeteries are the only real reminders of the families and towns that used to be. In the 1940s the government came in and bought up all the land, kicking people off the homes they had lived in for centuries, and set up camp. The reason I say "kicking" is because most land acquisition by government, especially back in those days, was very forceful and not an issue of choice. Mass takeovers don't work unless most of the land is sold, and the people are mostly too poor to fight it, so the land purchaser takes over fairly easy. The people from those small towns moved to the other cities and towns around here and some can still be found, living out their days near where their "people" were born and died for centuries.
The Native American population on Fort Stewart was mostly Guale (pronounced Wall-ey). They left behind few large sites, except along the coast, where many can be found. Fort Stewart doesn't reach too far in that direction, so there's not too much evidence of these people out there.
(continued at a later date)