Archeologists from the LAMAR Institute of Savannah are digging into Liberty County and unearthing buried treasure of a historical kind.
Researchers have uncovered a treasure trove of artifacts in Sunbury such as cellars, graves, and house remains that still have evidence of bombardment from the Revolutionary War.
Because of the current lack of historic preservation measures, the Georgia Trust added Sunbury as one of Georgia’s Top Ten Places in Peril on Wednesday based on the LAMAR Institute study.
The studies conducted on the houses confirmed they were burned. There were also findings under several hundred feet of dirt, concluded to be from hurricanes.
Research methods included ground radar and hand excavations with several hundred shovel samples.
“(The research) is going in slow motion,” Daniel Elliott, president of the LAMAR Institute, said.
“(Sunbury) was very important in the American Revolution and Georgia being captured by the British,” Elliott said.
He said their research would help “better understand what took place and what it’s all about in terms of American history,”
Elliott explained how Sunbury is being labeled a place in peril because it could lose its historical value because of a lack of protection due to the artifacts’ location being on private property.
He said there is “less than 100 acres of town that can be brought up and protected.”
Elliot and the institute are beginning measures to preserve historic Sunbury for further study by talking with landowners. They have also contacted a company in New Mexico that buys historical land.
Sunbury has become a “state, federal and private” issue according to Elliott.
He wants to bring up and develop the town for historic value for all to enjoy.
Because of the amount of the town’s history, Elliott, without hesitation, likened Sunbury to Williamsburg, Va. Williamsburg is in the area that used to be Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America.
Elliott’s interest in Sunbury began when he noticed a graveyard being bulldozed in 1996. He “drove around just to look” and archeological work began in the 2000s.
Elliott explained that the discoveries in Sunbury mark a “first look”.
“Nobody’s ever done any work there before,” Elliott said.
Elliott said he believes there is a lot of historic interest still off shore and underwater from shipwrecks.
The LAMAR Institute conducts “archeological and historical research in the Southeastern United States.”
For more information, Elliott invites the public to read the reports on their Web site http://lamarinstitute.org
Researchers have uncovered a treasure trove of artifacts in Sunbury such as cellars, graves, and house remains that still have evidence of bombardment from the Revolutionary War.
Because of the current lack of historic preservation measures, the Georgia Trust added Sunbury as one of Georgia’s Top Ten Places in Peril on Wednesday based on the LAMAR Institute study.
The studies conducted on the houses confirmed they were burned. There were also findings under several hundred feet of dirt, concluded to be from hurricanes.
Research methods included ground radar and hand excavations with several hundred shovel samples.
“(The research) is going in slow motion,” Daniel Elliott, president of the LAMAR Institute, said.
“(Sunbury) was very important in the American Revolution and Georgia being captured by the British,” Elliott said.
He said their research would help “better understand what took place and what it’s all about in terms of American history,”
Elliott explained how Sunbury is being labeled a place in peril because it could lose its historical value because of a lack of protection due to the artifacts’ location being on private property.
He said there is “less than 100 acres of town that can be brought up and protected.”
Elliot and the institute are beginning measures to preserve historic Sunbury for further study by talking with landowners. They have also contacted a company in New Mexico that buys historical land.
Sunbury has become a “state, federal and private” issue according to Elliott.
He wants to bring up and develop the town for historic value for all to enjoy.
Because of the amount of the town’s history, Elliott, without hesitation, likened Sunbury to Williamsburg, Va. Williamsburg is in the area that used to be Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America.
Elliott’s interest in Sunbury began when he noticed a graveyard being bulldozed in 1996. He “drove around just to look” and archeological work began in the 2000s.
Elliott explained that the discoveries in Sunbury mark a “first look”.
“Nobody’s ever done any work there before,” Elliott said.
Elliott said he believes there is a lot of historic interest still off shore and underwater from shipwrecks.
The LAMAR Institute conducts “archeological and historical research in the Southeastern United States.”
For more information, Elliott invites the public to read the reports on their Web site http://lamarinstitute.org