Preservation posts: the online journal of the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Aug. 2011

In this issue:
-HPD's New Website: the process and result -Ossabaw 2011 Archaeological Field Investigations -Sautee Nacoochee African American Heritage Site Unveiled at Folk Life Festival -Tax Program Highlight: E. A. Eason House -Cool Tools for Research Historic Photographs -Staff Profiles: Stephen Dilk
Note: Director Crass has been out of the office. His regular column will resume in September.
HPD's New Website: the process and result
By Helen Talley- McRae, Public Affairs Coordinator

HPD was pleased to announce the launch of a new and improved website at georgiashpo.org on June 30, 2011. The user-friendly site is one of five new Department of Natural Resources (DNR) websites that are the result of years of planning and coordination between DNR public affairs and IT staff. Drupal, an open source content management platform, was used to design HPD's new site, along with the main DNR site and sites for the Coastal Resources (CRD) and Wildlife Resources (WRD) divisions. Drupal is also being used to maintain and update the sites.
HPD's website, 1998-2004

HPD's first website was launched in 1998. The content was minimal by today's standards. All updates had to be sent to contractors at the Georgia Technology Authority who managed sites for many state agencies, so simple changes often took weeks to be completed due to backlogs of requests and high-priority projects. HPD began planning for a revised website in 2000. Public affairs coordinators from each DNR division met with IT staff to discuss options that would enable them to manage their division's own content.
HPD's website, 2004-2011

HPD's second website was launched in 2004, along with a similar site for DNR, CRD, and WRD. Its content mangement system was designed in-house as a one-time project, but was not modified or upgraded beyond its original version Although HPD was able to display as much content as desired, the site's functionality was not particularly intuitive and information was sometimes buried under several layers forcing users to click-through three or four times to get to their destination.
Plans for a third website began in 2005, relatively soon after the second site was launched. Five years later in 2010, a new website template was made available to DNR divisions. HPD's Public Affairs Coordinator Helen Talley-McRae began organizing and adding content for the division's new site while HPD's Media and Communications coordinator Charlie Miller worked on graphics and photos as well as providing technical solutions along with staff for DNR's IT support team.
The new site features drop-down menus that allow content to be grouped by common areas without the clutter of text and links used on HPD's previous site's home page. Other features on the home page include: rotating photos of recent events like new National Register listings,

information about new site content in the What's New section, links to recent press releases and news articles, and a Google Calendar of preservation events. Some of the top 20 pages visited since tracking of site traffic began on July 11 have been: jobs, contact us, staff directory, about us, laws, FAQs, consultants directory, cemeteries, housing, National Register, tax incentives, grants, and archaeology.
Websites are continually a "work in progress." Feedback from site visitors is vital to improving content and functionality. Please send your suggestions, comments and questions about www. georgiashpo.org to its webmaster, Helen Talley-McRae.
Ossabaw 2011 Archaeological Field Investigations
By Jennifer Bedell, Staff Archaeologist

Ossabaw Island is a 26,000-acre barrier island located on the coast of Georgia. It is a stateowned heritage preserve that has been set aside for the purpose of natural, scientific, and cultural research and education. The island has had over 4,000 years of human occupation, with evidence of over 225 archaeological sites. HPD's archaeology section recently participated in two archaeological investigations on Ossabaw Island.
The first was an HPD-sponsored archaeological field school conducted by Dr. Nick Honerkamp of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. This partnership provides HPD with the labor to conduct small to medium scale field and laboratory investigations that enhance our ability to effectively manage and interpret Georgia's historic resources. The field school concentrated its

efforts on the North End Plantation. This investigation complements a previous archaeological and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey, conducted by Dan Elliott of the Lamar Institute. The 2011 archaeological field school expanded the search area in an attempt to define the extent of the site and to characterize different land use patterns over time. Initial field observations indicate Dr. Honerkamp was successful in identifying several historic occupations but more detailed information will be available after laboratory analysis is complete.
The second investigation took place at the Cane Patch site. Cane Patch has been characterized as a Late Archaic period (4500-3500 Years Before Present) shell mound or ring; roughly 196 feet in diameter and 10-feet high prior to disturbance. Historically, the site's shell was mined for use in road construction and repair across Ossabaw Island. Due to the mining activity, portions of the site are slowly slumping into the surrounding marsh, and large vertical cuts are in danger of collapsing. The current archaeological investigations were designed to gain a better understanding of the site and its composition prior to site stabilization efforts. HPD's efforts confirm the site was a rare coastal shell mound, rather than a shell ring. Although the functions and meanings of rings and mounds are still debated, the two likely formed in different ways as a result of different activities. Correctly identifying the site as a mound is the first step in better understanding the processes and people who made it. Additional fieldwork is planned to learn more about the site and the actions that created it.
More information on archaeology in Georgia is available on our website.
Sautee Nacoochee African American Heritage Site Unveiled at Folk Life Festival
By Jeanne Cyriaque, African American Programs Coordinator

This slave cabin is the focal point of the African American Heritage Site. Today it is one of the buildings on the Sautee Nacoochee Center campus.
The Sautee Nacoochee Valley, located in White County, includes over 2,500 acres in the Appalachian Highland region of Georgia. When the Treaty of 1819 ceded lands in the Sautee Nacoochee Valley that were occupied by the Cherokees, they were forced westward on the Trail of Tears. The Williams family of North Carolina was among the region's first 61 white migrants. One of these settlers was Major Edward Williams, who focused on subsistence farming. His son Edwin P. continued his father's interest in farming, and, in 1845, purchased 2,300 acres in the

eastern edge of the valley. E.P. Williams' farm was supported by an enslaved population. He and his brother Charles owned half of the 124 enslaved people in the valley by 1861.
One surviving structure from the Williams family is a circa 1850 slave cabin that was adjacent to the family home and was the residence for servants. The Williams' descendants kept this cabin in the family until the 20th century, adding a bath, bedroom, kitchen, and a front porch. In the 1930s, the granddaughter of E.P. Williams lived in the cabin. After years of deterioration, the slave cabin was endangered, and was donated to the Sautee Nacoochee Community Association (SNCA) in 2002 for a proposed heritage site with the condition that it be moved to another location and preserved. This acquisition formed the genesis of the African American Heritage Site at the Sautee Nacoochee Center with the restored Nacoochee slave cabin as its central historic resource.
According to oral tradition, E.P. Williams read the Emancipation Proclamation to his slaves at a stone wall in front of his home. Many of the freed people remained in the valley, and continued to work for Williams as sharecroppers. Today, their family descendants live in an area around Bean Creek.
Caroline Crittenden and other volunteers began working with the Bean Creek community on a number of heritage initiatives. Bean Creek residents Andy Allen and Lena Dorsey collected artifacts, photos and oral histories, and developed an exhibit for the Center, Reflections of Bean Creek. They organized Valley Vets baseball games to commemorate the African American baseball team who represented the community during segregation, and developed another exhibit, Celebrating One Hundred Years of Bean Creek Baseball.
Crittenden also focused on the preservation of the slave cabin, and engaged a craftsman to stabilize the cabin. Additions that did not contribute to the interpretation of the original 16-by28-foot. one-room, two door cabin were removed. Others researched the cabin and uncovered historic photos to provide additional documentation. While these efforts were underway, the Nacoochee slave cabin was initially moved to a nearby nature preserve for the restoration of the frame structure. Ultimately the cabin found its permanent home on the SNCA campus, where rock mason David Vandiver reassembled the original stone chimney. Jim Johnston (the cabin donor) covered the roof with hand-split, 30-inch, white oak shingles fastened with cut nails.

Funding for Phase I of the project was provided by a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. SNCA received a Tourism Product Development Grant from the Georgia Department of Economic Development for Phase II. Landscaping and exterior exhibits were funded by this grant. The cabin overhang was reconstructed, and handicap accessibility was provided to the site. The tourism grant also created jobs for local contractors and leveraged two part-time positions for an interpreter and public events coordinator.
Visitors can see the African American Heritage Site at the third annual Folk Life Festival and Folk Pottery Sale on Saturday, September 3rd from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Folk Life Festival will demonstrate the influence of three cultures: Native American, European and African American, in their collective fusion of Sautee Nacoochee Valley heritage. A number of craftsmen will demonstrate the art of making white oak and pine needle baskets, green woodworking and blacksmithing. Andrea Chanay will interpret slave life at the African American Heritage Site and Lawrence Dorsey will demonstrate his woodcarving skills. The work of folk potters will be on display in the Nacoochee Gym and the Folk Pottery Museum.
Music will include traditional banjo, guitar and fiddle, as well as gourd banjo. Festival admission is free and parking donations are appreciated. Barbecue plates, including corn on the cob, coleslaw and watermelon will be available for $8 per plate from noon until 2 p.m.
The festival will conclude with a dinner concert commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Yonah Brass and local vocalists will perform. Tickets for the evening dinner and concert are $20 for adults and are available at www.snca.org. Concert participants will be served pork loin, greens, black-eyed peas and cornbread for a traditional Appalachian supper.
The Sautee Nacoochee Center including the African American Heritage Site and Folk Pottery Museum are located on Georgia Highway 255, mile from the intersection of Georgia Highway 17, approximately 4 miles southeast of Helen, Georgia. For more information, call 706-8783300 or visit www.snca.org.
Tax Program Highlight: E. A. Eason House
By Beth Gibson, Preservation Architect

The E. A. Eason House before (above left) during (above right) and after (above) rehabilitation.
The E. A. Eason House in Savannah (Chatham County) was recently rehabilitated using historic preservation tax incentives. Built in 1894, the house is located in Savannah's Thomas Square Streetcar Historic District and is one of two twin houses mirrored side by side. The rehabilitation project involved the replacement of missing architectural features on the front facade, replicating those found on the building's twin. The original 1,880 square feet was expanded to 3,000 with a compatible rear addition. For more information on historic preservation tax incentives in Georgia visit our website.
Cool Tools for Research Historic Photographs
By Lynn Speno, National Register Specialist, and Gretchen Brock, National Register & Survey Program Manager
In researching a historic property, photographs can be a great way to show how a building looked in the past. Trying to date an old photograph of a house? Is there a car or person in the yard? Perhaps you can figure out the date by the automobile or by what the person is wearing. There are numerous online sites that show images of historic fashions, both for men and women. Trying to date a photograph of a downtown? Look for clues in the type of transportation (wagons, streetcars, trains, automobiles) or utilities (presence or absence of telephone lines and electric lights). You may be able to cross-reference business names on signs with city directory listings in larger communities.
The first types of photographs were called daguerreotypes. They were introduced in 1839. Ambrotypes came into existence in 1854 and were popular until around 1865. The quick and easy way to tell the difference between the two is that a daguerreotype will look like a mirror when you move it in the light. There were other early photo types as well and an online search of early photography will help clarify these for you.

After the 1890s, photographs were sometimes made into postcards. Many postcard images of towns, hotels, and community landmark buildings such as courthouses, post offices, and depots were made. Collections of historic photographs and postcards can be found at local historical societies and museums, local public libraries, local newspapers, the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah, the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia, Georgia State University's Special Collections and Archives, and the State Archives. Check HPD's guides to Documenting a Property in Atlanta and Documenting a Property in Georgia for further information about postcards, historic photographs, and other information. Many communities and counties have published city or county histories or photograph collections. Arcadia Publishing has an ever-expanding list of Georgia books that showcase historic photographs.
One of the best comprehensive on-line collections of historic Georgia photographs is the Digital Library of Georgia. This collection contains photographs and other information from various sources and it can be searched by county, time period, collection, and holding institution. The collection includes the Vanishing Georgia collection with nearly 18,000 images spanning 100 years of Georgia history.
Another source that might not come to mind is the Library of Congress photograph collection. They have numerous images of Georgia scenes including Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) photographs and documentation.
The enormous expansion

of Internet sources including search engines, genealogy, blogs, photosharing sites like Flickr and Facebook, and commercial sites such as eBay have made it easier to search and find historic photographs in private collections. Don't forget to ask former property owners or family members for photographs. Our staff has found it useful that instead of asking for pictures of the house or farm, ask for photographs of family members, reunions, and/or weddings as often these photographs were taken in front of houses or in the yard with buildings in the background.
Significant weather events were recorded for posterity since the beginning of photography. Living in a state where significant snowfalls are relatively rare, Georgians have captured images of their houses in the snow from the late 19th century through today.
Photographs from the early days of the

National Register of Historic Places in the late 1960s are now becoming "vintage" if not quite historic. Our office also has collections of county survey photographs taken in the 1970s which can provide the researcher with information about how a building looked at an earlier time. Remember that photographs don't lie, they have very good memories, and are usually an invaluable tool for documenting a building.
Staff Profiles
Stephen Dilk, Underwater Archaeologist

Stephen has served as a maritime archeologist at the Coastal Underwater Archaeological Field Station in Savannah since June of 2010. He participated as a student-intern there every summer since 2008. His duties include archaeological fieldwork, laboratory analysis, site documentation, report writing, and education and public outreach. Stephen has a B.A. in History and Anthropology from the University of Rochester in upstate New York, and expects to defend his Master's thesis at East Carolina University in the fall.
How did you become involved in the field of archaeology? As odd as it might sound, one of my earliest impressionable (literally) memories relates to preservation of the prehistoric kind. My family annually brought my brother and me to Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, CT. While there, I was able to make a plaster cast of some of the

dinosaur footprints (called Eubrontes probably from the Dilophosaurus - the spitting dinosaur in Jurassic Park) preserved in Late Triassic and Jurassic mud. I enjoyed the experience so much I still enthusiastically display the cast.
In college I became interested in archaeology, and as that interest grew so did my broadening appreciation for the diversity of archaeological and historic sites. Having grown up in a port town next to Lake Ontario, the call of the sea was indelible. This led me to what was perhaps my most profound collegiate experience. While enrolled in a semester at Mystic Seaport, I lived and worked every day in the museum (except those days when I was sailing off the coast), literally surrounded not only by buildings and vessels best described with superlatives, but also professionals carrying on traditions and crafts ages old. The latter is a reminder that artifacts "speak," but someone needs to be listening. That lesson endured in me a lasting interest in archaeology and historic preservation.
What do you do on a typical day? What do you like most about your job? Counter-intuitively, a typical day at the office means doing something different from the day before. With rare exception, no day blends into the next. I regularly assist with field surveys of submerged archaeological sites, which can include remote-sensing from a boat, scuba diving on submerged wrecks, or surveying on land and along the foreshore. Other duties include identifying, cleaning, and cataloging artifacts, as well as interpreting and drawing cultural remains. With some of the sensitive electronic equipment, a certain amount of upkeep is required, which I assist with as well. The atypical aspect of the job is what I like most, but it's also enjoyable being out seeing the interesting sites around the state.
What do you like to do outside the office? Besides sailing, kayaking, and long-distance hiking, my interests outside of the office lie in the vertical realm. Most recently my outdoor climbing adventures brought me to the summit of Mt. Rainier and the flanks of numerous other volcanoes and alpine rock in the Cascade Range. I also enjoy the plentiful crags here in the east, including Georgia's Rocktown, Kentucky's Red River Gorge, and the New River Gorge in West Virginia. At home, you can find me reading, gardening, or tending to my flock of chickens.

Please send your comments or suggestions to charlie.miller@dnr.state.ga.us.
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