Excavations at Bartow County's Leake Site


April 2005

Archaeology Day: A neighborly get-together.

Archaeology Field Day Afternoon

Sunny, breezy, and mild, April 16, 2005 proved to be a popular Saturday to be on the side of Highway 61 in Bartow County, Georgia. Or at least 250 Cartersville residents and visitors thought so. A steady stream of people came throughout the afternoon to the Leake Site to share in discoveries being made by archaeologists with Southern Research Historic Preservation Consultants, Inc. as part of a Georgia Department of Transportation highway-widening project. Archaeology Day was sponsored by Southern Research, The Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site and The City of Cartersville, Georgia with funding from the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.

Adults and children had plenty to do as they toured part of an archaeological site where Native Americans lived from 1000 B.C. to A.D. 400. Visitors saw archaeologists excavating features and had a chance to get dirty themselves as they helped archaeologists water screen soil to recover artifacts for laboratory analysis. (Mom, bleach really does get those splatters out of Junior’s T-shirt!) Visitors not up to water screening could talk to archaeologists about recent discoveries. Large color posters detailing the site and archaeology supplemented these verbal descriptions. Visitors enjoyed walking around the site to complete clipboard activities such as the Post Hole Feature Test and the No-Collection Scavenger Hunt. Children’s activities under the tents were popular as young visitors tried their hands at making paddle-stamped pottery bowls and Swift Creek rubbings. Meanwhile, parents enjoyed gathering brochures and resource materials, and making inquiries at the Ask an Archaeologist table. Fresh air, fun, archaeology and learning…what better way to spend a beautiful Saturday?

Please enjoy this gallery of images from the Archaeology Day activities...and thanks for coming!