A Proposal to Conduct Archaeological Excavations at the "Bead Maker's" Shell Midden, Site OSS 73, Ossabaw Island, Georgia

This document represents a proposal submitted to the Ossabaw Island Foundation to conduct archaeological excavations at a small, Irene phase shell midden located at site OSS 73 on Ossabaw Island, Georgia. Test excavations conducted at the midden in 1974 by Charles Pearson (Pearson 1974; 1979) produced a variety of cultural materials, including ceramics, bone, charred wood and other items typical of late prehistoric shell middens in the region. In addition, this midden produced several small chipped stone drills, and numerous pieces of worked whelk shell. Some of these shell pieces had been partially ground and drilled and, along with the stone drills, are almost certainly debris associated with the production of shell beads and, possibly, other shell ornaments. Almost nothing is known about this prehistoric craft activity in coastal Georgia and the "Bead Maker's" midden provides a unique opportunity to collect information on shell bead production during the Irene phase. In fact, this appears to be one of the few instance where prehistoric bead-making paraphernalia has been found in a contextual setting on the Georgia coast.