Archaeological Investigations at the Sapelo Lighthouse and Oilhouse

Archaeological investigations were undertaken at the Sapelo Island Lighthouse and its adjacent Oil House on December 14 and 15, 1996 (Figures 1 & 2). The limited goal of this investigation was to recover data from the interior of these two structures related to their form, function, and use in order to provide information useful for their accurate restoration and interpretation. This report provides a brief historic background for the lighthouse, details the excavation methods, summarizes the recovered archaeological materials, discusses the investigation results, and then offers recommendations for restoration and interpretation. Information generated by this investigation- including photographs, scale drawings, notes, and artifacts - are temporarily curated at the Antonio J: Waring, Jr. Archaeological Laboratory under Accession No. 301 (Catalog Numbers 1 - 10). Arrangements for permanent curation are to be negotiated at a later date.1996年12月14日至15日，研究团队对萨佩洛岛灯塔（Sapelo Island Lighthouse）及其毗邻的油库（Oil House）开展了考古调查（图1、图2）。本次调查的目标较为有限，旨在提取这两处建筑内部与其形制、功能及使用情况相关的考古数据，为二者的精准修复与学术阐释提供支撑信息。本报告首先简要梳理该灯塔的历史背景，详述发掘操作方法，汇总本次调查获取的考古遗存与相关资料，探讨调查核心成果，并最终针对其修复与阐释工作提出针对性建议。本次调查产生的各类资料，包括照片、比例测绘图、调查笔记及人工遗物，目前暂由小安东尼奥·J·韦林考古实验室（Antonio J. Waring, Jr. Archaeological Laboratory）代为保管，入藏编号为301（编目号范围1至10）。后续将协商确定该批资料的永久馆藏方案。