Elderhostel Archaeology Service Program •

The archaeology program is a moderately intensive Elderhostel service program. The Elderhostelers are the “diggers” at the Guale Indian village site on Grove’s Creek. Aided by volunteers and Dr. Ervan Garrison, of the University of Georgia, Elderhostlers are involved in all aspects of the project. The work is done mainly in the month of December when the weather is more moderate. A program of daytime fieldwork and evening lectures combine as the heart of the Elderhostel experience. Over the years students and professors from both the University of Georgia and Georgia Southern University have worked side by side with Elderhostel participants at the site and in the lab.

The Aboriginal village site dates back to the 1500s. The Guale Indians were a coastal people, skilled in agriculture. Much is known about the historic Colonial Period in Georgia, but a lot less is known about these early prehistoric inhabitants. We are fortunate to have found five of the eleven Irene period (1300-1550 AD) houses which have been found in Georgia. Two decades of excavation at the site have revealed burned houses, walls, floor and wooden beams as well as thousands of pieces of pottery, clay pipes, shell beads, tools and other artifacts. Some of these finds are on display in the aquarium exhibit area. Shell middens or refuse heaps abound on this island and examples can be seen on the MECA nature trail. The site continues to yield information and artifacts. In 2006, a largely intact guord was excavated with great excitment. Dr. Deborah Keene, used findings from the site as the basis for her dissertation. Students from the university and Elderhostel volunteers helped her with her fieldwork. A number of the Elderhostel participants have come back year after year so that they can keep up with their pits!

During the year, two of our Elderhostel volunteers, Dr. Hilda Knobloch and Cassandra Winter, continue to work on cataloging and curating our growing archives. Dr. Knobloch was in our first archaeology Elderhostel program in 1986 and has been donating both her time and money to help keep the program going ever since. Donations to our program have also come from Elderhostel participants Betty Banghart and William Sutton. Some of the money from these donations has gone for carbon dating for the site. Without the participation of the Elderhostelers we would not be able to continue this work.