Divide-Cut Section Archaeological Survey 1974-1976

This collection is referred to as “Divide-Cut Section Archaeological Survey 1974-1976.” This name is consistent throughout the finding aid, the file folders, and the box labels. The extent of this collection is eight (8) linear inches.

This collection was separated from the Divide-Cut Section Archaeological Testing and Data Recovery I and II collections, with which it was intermingled. For a time, both Divide Cut I and the Divide Cut Survey were processed as a single collection, in which the survey was considered background. This was due to several interrelated concerns. Both of these small document collections were created by the University of Mississippi under the direction of Dr. Robert Thorne, and the phase II and III investigations seemed to follow immediately after the survey. Upon conferring with USACE and with the Cobb Institute of Archaeology, it was determined that there are distinct artifact collections for each of these archival collections. In light of these discoveries, the collection was further split, and Divide Cut Survey became a unique investigation. Folders were reviewed to determine with which investigation they truly belonged, and folders were split where documents from both the survey and first investigation were found in a single folder.

The Divide-Cut Section Archaeological Survey documents were processed by Jonathan Beaver, processing archivist, with the assistance of George Bauser, Ryan Brewer, Edward Covington, Marquita Kitchen, William Montgomery, and Christopher Welch.

The Divide-Cut Section Archaeological Survey document collection was in good condition. The total Divide-Cut documents were received in ten acid-free boxes labeled 0015 to 0018, 0021, 0022, and 0024 to 0027. Documents within the boxes were organized into acid-free folders, but the boxes were packed with newspaper to fill empty space and prevent the contents from shifting. When the investigations were pulled apart, it was found that Divide Cut Survey and Divide Cut I documents were largely found in boxes 0018 and 0021.

The survey documents were removed to a single box. Some metal contaminants were removed, but the documents needed little cleaning and mending. The document collection contains no analysis records and only one folder of field records containing a single notebook. The collection does include an interesting collection of correspondence to and from Dr. Robert Thorne prior to the project, which shows the personal interest taken by Dr. Thorne and his colleague Richard Marshall in the archaeological research value of sites in the Tennessee- Tombigbee Waterway corridor.

The report is available in both draft and final form. Both the draft and final reports were divided into two folders because they exceeded the capacity of a single folder. The draft report consists of site location, description, and recommendation sheets, which were ordered according to site number. The final report is organized north-to-south along the area of investigation.

Photographs consist of both prints and negatives. Photographic log information is available, so the images associated with the survey may be a valuable resource. Images taken by Robert Thorne were named with the convention “Bob Roll,” while Victor Hood’s negatives were called “Vic Roll.” This naming convention was preserved to avoid the confusion of having two rolls called Roll 1, for instance. Most of Robert Thorne’s negatives have survived, although only one roll of negatives taken by Victor Hood is extant. Therefore, archivists were able to associate sites to prints with certainty only when Thorne was the photographer. In the case of Hood’s photographic prints, information on the back of photographs was trusted, provided the site listed on the back matched the site listed for that roll and frame in the photograph log. A set of prints was included that was numbered 1 to 93 and consisted of images from both Robert Thorne’s and Victor Hood’s cameras. Because the investigator organized these images separately, they may have been used for a lecture or report that is not present. The images were left in their original, numbered order.

The digital materials in this collection were processed by the Veterans Curation Program (VCP), and include the finding aid, original investigation report, oversized material spreadsheet, photographic material spreadsheet, scanned asset key, and select archival photographs. Additional digital materials held by the VCP include additional archival photographs, administrative files, archives database, box inventory, box label, correspondence, document folder listing, environmental statement, information pamphlet, initial data collection, maps, notes, and records removal sheet. For additional information on these materials, refer to the finding aid.