Ye Pleasant Mount: 1989 1990 Excavations - Open site which ...

ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MT. PLEASANT SITE,
EFFINGHAM COUNTY, GEORGIA
Introduction
The Mt. Pleasant site, located in the Coastal Plain on the Savannah River, is
approximately 40 mi inland from the coast. The site, located on a high bluff 100 ft (30.5
m) above the river (Effingham County), is situated on a small point of land with gullies
dropping off from the edges of the landform. Dan and Rita Elliott tested the site, owned
by Mr. Richard Kessler, during a survey of the area in 1989.
The site is located strategically close to a major Indian trail that crossed the
Savannah River nearby. The Mt. Pleasant site, probably first occupied by Creeks, was
abandoned sometime after the Yamassee War. The Yuchi Indians occupied the site during
the 1730s. During the 17305 English traders also occupied the site setting up a trading
post. Some remnant Indians probably remained at the site until the mid-17405. Around
1739 James Oglethorpe established a Ranger Garrison there, perhaps employing some
traders as Rangers. The site was abandoned as a Ranger Garrison probably around 1750.
European and Indian artifacts were recovered from testing. CreeklYuchi pottery
dating from 1730s (or possibly earlier) to around 1745 was identified. English trading
materials dating to the 1730s and 17405 were recovered during testing. Historic ceramics,
particularly porcelains, dating to Oglethorpe's Rangers Garrison (1739-1750) also were
present on the site.
Methods
The faunal collection submitted for zooarchaeological analysis came from test pits
and a few shovel tests; excavated materials were screened through one-quarter inch
hardware cloth. A dark midden zone, detected from extensive shovel testing, was tested
with six 1 x 1 m units. Excavations in the sheet midden were made in five stratigraphic
levels. Although some mixing of archeological materials between stratum is likely,
distinctions between levels 1 and 2 and levels 3, 4, and 5 were discerned. These two sheet
midden units and one shovel test represent the three analytical units used for the
zooarcheological analysis in this report. The upper sheet midden unit, levels 1 and 2, had
a mean ceramic date of 1751.4 and a pipe stem date of 1737.64. Levels 3 through 5 had
a mean ceramic date of 1745.2 and a pipe stem date of 1734.96.
Standard zooarchaeological procedures were used during identification and analysis
of the vertebrate materials. Identifications were made by Gwyneth A. Duncan, using the
comparative skeletal collection of the Zooarchaeology Laboratory at the University of
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