City of Savannah releases results from Weeping Time archaeological survey

“It is exactly what we thought it would be, in the sense that we found (the process) to be obviously biased,” said Leonard Small, a representative of the Weeping Time Coalition (WTC), a group of faith leaders, community members and others who oppose the shelter’s development.

In April, the Salvation Army petitioned Savannah City Council for a special use permit, which is needed to move forward with the development. Council voted 5-4 to approve the permit on the condition of conducting an archaeological study.

The goal of the study was to determine whether the project land was originally part of the racecourse where more than 400 enslaved people were sold in 1859 to pay off the debts of plantation owner Pierce Mease Butler.

The study conducted by Brockington and Associates claims that the project tract was a legally separate piece of property in March 1859. The survey states that based on the chain of title, during the Weeping Time event the racecourse site was owned by Charles A. Lamar. The land to the east, which is now part of the proposed shelter site, was known as the Wallace Tract and was owned by Solomon Goodall.

According to the 100-page report, historical records do not indicate a functional linkage between the project tract property and the adjacent racecourse until at least 1864, but more definitively after 1871.

Since council voted in April to approve the permit based on the outcome of the archeological survey, Mayor Van Johnson said the issue is now between the Salvation Army and the Housing Authority of Savannah, which owned the property.

“Now that it's been definitively determined that the Bartow Homes site was not the site where the sale of enslaved persons occurred, there will be no further council action on this matter,” he said on Tuesday, referencing the survey.

Maj. Paul Egan, who leads the Salvation Army, said the organization hasn’t changed its focus. The transitional shelter proposed by the Salvation Army would be able to house about 200 people, mainly women and children.

“We know the Salvation Army desperately needs to change our facility situation. Whether it’s moving all of what we have to Montgomery Street to a new location or a portion of it, that’s yet to be seen,” he said.

“But we know the number of people that we need to house here, especially the women and children that constantly seem to be at a greater need for sheltering, that we need to find a new place.”

The firm began the survey in early May and completed a field survey later that month. According to the results, the field survey used systematic visual examination and 30-meter interval shovel test excavations within the project tract, as well as closer 10-meter-interval shovel test excavation.

“Our investigation identified one archaeological site, which is the remnants of the mid- to late twentieth-century Francis Bartow Homes housing project...,” the report states.

“In addition, no archaeological remnants were identified within the project tract’s (area of potential effects) that are associated with the Weeping Time event at the Ten Broeck Race Course…”

Egan said the Salvation Army is completely open to including a memorial to the Weeping Time. Egan said he would like to see the memorial be driven by the city as well as the community.

“We have talked to others about the idea of a project or memorial and we’d love to be a part of that,” he said.

Weeping Time Coalition leaders believe that a more independent firm should have been tasked with the survey. Minutes show that the Savannah City Council unanimously  approved a primary and secondary annual contract for archaeological services with Brockington, the primary firm, and LG2 Environmental, the secondary firm, in the amount of $200,000.

Small also took issue with some of the language in the report, which states that the Weeping Time was the largest sale of enslaved people in Georgia. The WTC and historians have labeled it the largest slave sale in the history of the nation.

“So far what I’ve read and what I have seen (of the report) I would categorize as filibuster at its epitome,” Small said.

The next step for the WTC will be holding a meeting with the descendants of the overseer of Butler Plantation as well as descendants of the Butler Plantation enslaved next month in Darien, Ga., Small said.

Egan said the organization has been working on moving forward with addressing its facility needs since 2013 and he’s grateful that the project has brought so much attention to the Weeping Time.

“I think Savannahians and those who visit our city need to know about it and need to be talking about it,” he said.

The survey results were released to city council members last week, according to a memo from City Manager Michael Brown. The results have also been sent to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for review by the state archaeologist. That process could take up to 30 days, according to the memo.

Katie Nussbaum is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Contact her at knussbaum@savannahnow.com. Twitter: KmartSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: City of Savannah releases results from Weeping Time archaeological survey