 With the permits obtained for excavation at the McAllister Rice Mill location excavations were begun January, 2005. A map of the property was prepared and a site grid was established. The grid was aligned with the visible architectural features so excavation units would coincide with the brick walls and corners. This arrangement of excavation units would enable the participants of the Archaeological Field Session to determine the sizes of structures, the positions of structures, and the functions of structures. A telephone pole with an annodized nail set at a known elevation above mean sea level was shown on the property map. Elevations were determined from this point. The point of origin for the site grid was establised one-meter west of the telephone pole with a three-foot long anodized rod driven into the ground. The two-square meter grid units were designated by the two-meter incriments north and east of the grid origin. The units are designated from the southwest corner coordinates.
The map on the right shows the location of the datum that was established based on the telephone pole location with the known elevation. The Universal Transverse Mercator locations for two of the property corners are also shown in Eastings and Northings. The map's orientation is to Grid North.
 Looting of the site for the robbing of Savannah Grey brick was begun in the mid 1900s. The greed exhibited by the looters resulted in the death of two individuals by drowning in the Ogeechee River. They had loaded their boats with so many brick that the weight caused the boats to sink. Construction of local homes, patios, and fireplaces from these brick has been a source of pride for homeowners in the Savannah area. The brick now sell for $4.00 each.
The near obliteration of McAllister's Rice Mill by the brick robbers made it extremely difficult to interpret the architecture of the mill and even harder to excavate. The looters had brooken apart the bricks and tabby mortar so that many irregularly-shaped fragments were jumbled together. It was impossible to schnit (shave) the floors of the excavation units. It was impossible to trowel smooth unit walls and plumb corners. The weight of the brick meant back-breaking days of lifting, transporting, and placing the brick rubble west of the excavations. Complicating things even further, sheet plastic, plastic cups, coaxial cable, electric junction boxes, and contemporary debris was mixed with the rubble to a depth of forty-centimeters below the surface. No confidence could be held in the stratigraphy of any artifacts within the brick robber's trenches.
 Wall profiles in the first two-square meter excavation unit at 4N 10E revealed the outline of the brick robbers trenches. The second excavation was begun immediately to the north to determine if this feature continued in theat direction. Its unit designation was 6 N 10 E since its southwest corner was two meters further north. The feature with mixed looters materials did extend on to the north. All of the robbers trench material was removed as a feature. The third excavation unit was begun to locate the corner of the rice mill based on the probable intersection of the brick wall extending west from the waterfront. The intersection was discovered as hypothesized in 6N 12 E. The brick  walls continued to extend west and north of the hypothesized structure and this required the opening of new units to interpret the additional walls. A Civil War minnie ball, brass grommets, and large quantities of white ash were found in the third excavation unit. As the floor of the second excavation unit was troweled deeper, the wall extending west from the third unit was exposed. This wall was different from the others because it had a sloped surface going down to the south. This surface was covered in a thick layer of white ash.
The alignment of the brick wall coming from the waterfront suggested the north wall of the structure should connect with the puzzling intersection of the third unit. Units were begun along this brick wall along the north side of the McAllister Rice Mill. The brick wall did connect and most of the wall was exposed as whown in the photograph below.
 
Units ---6 N 12 E-----------------------6N 14 E----------------------6N 16 E---------- --------6N 18 E----To creek ->
 Efforts to find the corresponding south wall of the structure were not successful however. It was discovered that most of this wall had been totally removed. The southwest corner of the McAllister Rice Mill had also been obliterated by the brick robbers.
 The canal that extended north from the Ogeechee River into the ricefields has a brick retaining wall constructed of a much thinner brick. This structure is cracking under the pressure of water saturation and runnoff. Large trees with expanding root systems should also be removed to prevent further damage to the structure. In the creek bottom is a rice barge unloading platform that kept the barges from becoming stuck in the thick mud at low tide. This platform is constructed of large 15 centimeter wide beams that extend perpendicularly from the brick wall east to the creek bank. Planks that are 5 centimeters thick and 30 centimeters wide are attached to this frame with wooden pegs.
 The wooden frame of a large wooden container, possibly a water reservoir for the operation of the mill at low tide is in the creek bed to the north. The frame of this structure consists of six beams that are 15 centimeters by 15 centimeters in cross-section. These six beams are attached to a base that has planks that are 5 centimeters thick and 30 centimeters wide attached with wooden pegs. A protective barricade should be constructed north and south of this structure. The barricade would protect it against boat traffic and the movement of logs carried in and out of the creek by the changing tides.
The Woodland Period Native American midden feature on the south part of the proptery needs to be tested. Deptford Linear Check-stamped, Cord-marked, and Check-stamped sherds can be found along the shoreline. An earthen embankment north of the brick foundation needs to be tested. This may be a Civil War encampment.
The descendants of the slaves of the McAllister family were asked if they wanted to clean, restore, and preserve the Strathy Hall Slave Cemetery. The descendants and members of three African-American churches elected Deacon Grant as the chairperson of the effort to clean, restore, preserve, and nominate the cemetery for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The property has been mapped with the boundaries located independently by a local land surveyor. The determination of the extent of the cemetery has been difficult.
The well to provide for water for the Strathy Hall subdivision was actually dug on cemetery property. The fencing that enclosed the well and and water tank also extends onto the cemetery property.
 Bricks and a storage shed along the west side of the cemetery are also placed on cemetery property. The north boundary of the cemetery was difficult to determine because the steel-reinforced concrete posts could not be found. Boats, dog pens, storage sheds and other structures were in the heavily overgrown area near the back of the property. Nine discarded oil filters, numerous beer bottles, and bags of household debris were scattered throughout  the lot. Piles of leaves and tree branches were piled on top of headstones in the wooded areas. There are broken, scattered, and dislodged headstones around the periphery of the property. We were told that people used to ride All-Terrain-Vehicles through the area. The job of mapping, cleaning, and restoring the cemetery has been very time consuming. After the independent Bryan County land surveyor arrived with a platt map, the work of locating the corner posts began. It was discovered that the difficulty in locating the markers for the north property line was due to their partial destruction. The top 10 centimeters of the concrete had been broken away from the posts. The two steel-reinforcement bars in each marker had been  bent over and buried. During the mapping and clearing of the property, Mr.Dan Blige was able to locate the grave of his father. There was no marker on his father's grave, but a woman present at the funeral had indicated one of his cups had been placed at the head of the grave. He found the cup and asked the woman present at the funeral if it was the one placed on his father's grave. She identified the cup and confirmed it was the location of his father.
 The grandson of Mr. Joe Walberg was able to see his grandfather's grave for the first time. It was marked with a piece of slate with the name scratched deep into the surface. Members of the neighborhood have been assisting with the clearing and rennovation of the cemetery. A boy scout living in the neighborhood is helping with the landscaping for his Eagle Scout project. A committee of subdivision residents and community members will meet in August, 2005 to plan for family and community input in the rennovation and preservation of this historic site.
The north half of the Strathy Hall Slave Cemetery has been taken over through time because of the obscured property boundaries. Headstones have been broken and moved. Graves were relocated for the construction of the houses between the cemetery property and the Ogeechee River. It is hoped that the clearing, mapping, and rennovation of the cemetery will promote its upkeep and preservation.
Pproperty associated with Silk Hope Plantation and other sites has been visited and will be assessed with ground penetrating radar during ongoing work with the Richmond Hill Historical Society. |
