Finding Aid, Rood’s Landing Tom Meltzer (9SW1) 1975 and 1980

Summary

The Veterans Curation Program utilizes the standard archival practice of unique naming of collections. The purpose of this practice is to avoid redundant and confusing collection names commonly found with archaeological investigations. Therefore, this collection is referred to as “Rood’s Landing Tom Meltzer (9SW1) 1975 and 1980.” This name is consistent throughout the finding aid, the file folders, and the box labels. The extent of this collection is two-tenths (0.2) of a linear inch. The Rood’s Landing site (9SW1), also known as Rood’s Creek, was described by Joseph Caldwell as a Mississippian Period mound center consisting of eight mounds and a large village at the confluence of Rood’s Creek and the Chattahoochee River in Stewart County, Georgia. It was first described by C.B. Moore in 1907, and recorded again in 1939 by Robert Wauchope (Atz, Huddleston & Sweeney 2000). Later, “large surface collections were made by the Smithsonian, the University of Georgia, the University of Alabama, and the Columbus Museum…and amateurs have since reported cultural materials from several peripheral areas to the Columbus Museum” (Knight and Mistovich 1984).

Based on information recorded on the box label, it appears that the artifacts in this investigation were collected in 1975 by Tom Meltzer, and it is assumed that he then donated the items to the Columbus Museum of Arts and Crafts. The only artifact not collected in 1975, VCP ID 001-022, was found in 1980A small write up can be found in the Rood’s Landing Archives (Box 1, Folder 55) where it was noted that the artifact was found by Tom Meltzer and Tom Whipple. Tom Meltzer was a member of the community who often worked with Frank Schnell (College of Education Quarterly 2009: 3). Looting at the Rood’s Landing site was a problem throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, and at this time Frank T. Schnell was conducting numerous collections in the Rood’s Landing area at the behest of the Columbus Museum (Schnell 1973). Many such investigations were also conducted in the area to assess the impact of Walter F. George Lake on the site and to document it because it was being damaged by erosion (Schnell 1973; Knight and Mistovich 1984; Atz et al. 2000). This sheet was removed from a box of the corresponding artifact collection. This sheet was copied on to an acid free paper for conservation purposes and included in an archival collection.

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): US Army Corps of Engineers Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections, St. Louis District

Principal Investigator(s): Tom Meltzer

Landowner(s): US Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District

Sponsor(s): US Army Corps of Engineers Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections, St. Louis District

Repository(s): University of Georgia, Laboratory of Archaeology

Prepared By(s): Veterans Curation Program

Submitted To(s): US Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District

Notes

General Note: The digital materials in this collection were processed by the Veterans Curation Program (VCP), and include the artifact database, artifact report, finding aid, and scanned asset key. Additional materials held by the VCP include the document folder listing, initial data collection sheet, personal notes, and preliminary inventory worksheet. For additional information on these materials, refer to the Finding Aid.

File Information