 St. Catherines Island archive
Collection DescriptionHistorical NoteThe American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) has explored the archaeology of St. Catherines Island since 1974. Over the past four decades, AMNH and the St. Catherines Island Archaeological Project (SCIAP) have emphasized longitudinal research on St. Catherines Island and employing many different technologies to refine the understanding of the humans who lived on St. Catherines. Initial excavations on St. Catherines focused on biocultural research into the Refuge-Deptford period (cal 1000 B.C.–A.D. 600). Crews from the AMNH excavated nine burial mounds, clarifying religious and ritual practices during this early period. During the second phase of research, AMNH crews worked to reconstruct the prehistoric cultural ecology of St. Catherines Islanders. From November 1977 to May 1979, 150 archaeological sites were recorded, and each one was test excavated to determine its date. The next phase of research explored the protohistoric/ early historic (1566–1680) site of Mission Santa Catalina de Guale. Subsequent excavations reconstructed contact-period Indian subsistence and settlement patterns, as well as the Indians' general health and nutrition after European contact. In 2005, AMNH staff began a program to conserve the most endangered archaeology and history of St. Catherines Island, including compiling this archival collection. Through these conservation efforts, AMNH field crews also uncovered some intriguing new finds, including the Fallen Tree Mortuary Complex (discovered in 2013). Additionally, crews from AMNH have surveyed the shoreline and focused on sites affected by erosion. Scope and ContentThe American Museum of Natural History has conducted archaeological fieldwork on St. Catherines Island, Georgia, since 1974 under the direction of Dr. David Hurst Thomas. The St. Catherines Island Archaeology Collection consists of documents, media, and electronic files related to the research, education, and conservation efforts on St. Catherines Island, specifically the field notes, photographs, illustrations, maps, analyses, publications, reports, and digital files associated with the archaeological work conducted on the island by the American Museum of Natural History. Administrative InformationPreferred CitationSt. Catherines Island archive, ms4163, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries. Conditions Governing UsePlease contact the curator of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, NY, regarding reproduction rights and permissions. General NotesPrinted materials relating to this collection including AV logs and inventories for the archaeology collection, as well as releases for the oral histories, are available upon request. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this RepositoryIn 2001, AMNH staff developed a program for conserving and curating the pre-2005 archaeological and paleoenvironmental collections, which have been transferred to southeastern institutions. The archaeological collection from before 2005 was transferred to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History (Atlanta) and the paleoenvironmental collection from before 2005 resides at the Florida Museum of Natural History (Gainesville). In 2015, the archaeological and paleoenvironmental collections from 2005–2015 were transferred to the University of Georgia (Athens). Related audiovisual materials from this collection are housed in the Walter J. Brown Media Archive: http://purl.libs.uga.edu/brown/har-ms4163/bmac-coll | ||||||||||||||||||||||