Case study

Military site archaeology

Data Recovery at Fort Morris

Public archaeology and data recovery at an earthen fortification confirms its importance to the Revolutionary War history of the Georgia colony.

By Daniel T. Elliott
Produced for Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Fall 2002

Fort Morris State Historic Site is hidden away in Liberty County near the town of Midway and Interstate 95 southwest of Savannah. Although it receives only modest visitation from the public, it is one of the more historically significant forts along the southeastern US coast.

Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources, Office of the State Archaeologist, selected Southern Research to plan and implement a program of public education and archaeological research at the site. The goals of the work were to review all the historical and archaeological information from previous studies, conduct remote sensing and archaeological excavations and prepare technical and popular reports. The project also called for the involvement of the general public whenever possible and a field day for DNR Parks and Historic Sites Managers and staff personnel. Southern Research’s work at Fort Morris discovered widespread evidence of the January 9, 1779 siege by the Royal Navy on the fort defended by American Patriots. The stains of a previously unknown defensive ditch from the Revolutionary War were discovered using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and conventional excavations. The work fostered a greater appreciation among local residents of Liberty County of the site’s cultural resources and its importance in the story of the American Revolution in the South.