Research at Behavior Cemetery, Sapelo Island, Georgia

Part of the Sapelo Island project

Author(s): Nicholas Honerkamp; Morgan R. Crook, Jr.

Year: 2010

Summary

In May of 2010 the University ofTennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) carried out archaeological research at Behavior Cemetery on Sapelo Island, Georgia. Under the direction of Dr. Nicholas Honerkamp and assisted by Dr. Ray Crook (Professor Emeritus, University of West Georgia), students enrolled in the UTC Archaeological Field Methods course participated in a program of archaeological survey and reconnaissance at the c. five-acre Cemetery. Based on a request from Gullah-Geechee residents of the Hog Hammock community on Sapelo, the goals of this effort were three-fold: (1) to determine the structure and content of suspected slave cabin remains, as evidenced by a small buried deposit oftabby plaster and oyster shell located on the northern end of the Cemetery; (2) to record the locations and information on all extant headstones and other Cemetery features to produce a GIS database; and (3) to detect the presence of unmarked graves through the use of ground penetrating radar (GPR) and shallow backhoe trenching. This latter goal was occasioned by the increasingly common (and disturbing) presence of unmarked burials encountered during recent funeral ceremonies for Gullah-Geechee residents and their family members. An observation by a resident speaks directly to this concern: "We can't swing a shovel without waking someone up." It is a disquiet shared by many Hog Hammock residents.

Cite this Record

Research at Behavior Cemetery, Sapelo Island, Georgia. Nicholas Honerkamp, Morgan R. Crook, Jr.. 2010 ( tDAR id: 366213) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8W37TP1

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

Spatial Coverage

min long: -81.312; min lat: 31.374 ; max long: -81.151; max lat: 31.564 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Rachel Black

File Information

  Name Size Creation Date Date Uploaded Access
gpr-survey-at-behavior-cemetary-sapelo-island-georgia.pdf 227.71mb Aug 25, 2011 6:47:33 AM Confidential
mortuary-research-at-behavior-cemetary-9mc498-sapelo-island-ge... 135.39mb Aug 25, 2011 6:59:39 AM Confidential
searching-for-unmarked-graves-at-behavior-cemetary-sapelo-isla... 27.43mb Aug 25, 2011 7:02:37 AM Confidential
behavior2010-artifact-table.doc 26.50kb Sep 8, 2011 11:04:38 AM Confidential
behavior-ceramics-table7-28-10.doc 24.00kb Sep 8, 2011 11:04:38 AM Confidential
behavior-ceramics-table-3.doc 27.00kb Sep 8, 2011 11:04:38 AM Confidential
behavior-mcd-2010-table-7-28-2010.doc 21.50kb Sep 8, 2011 11:04:38 AM Confidential
table6.doc 26.50kb Sep 8, 2011 11:04:38 AM Confidential

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Contact(s): Rachel Black