Arsenal at ASU

The ASU Archaeology Project began with the announcement of the University's soon-to-be constructed Science Building in 1994. Most of the work has focused on the Augusta Arsenal which occupied the site from 1828 to 1955. Over the past several years construction and renovation projects on the campus (the site of the former arsenal) have proliferated as additional new buildings have been approved by the Board of Regents and auxiliary projects have been planned and initiated.

Archaeologists use the term "archaeological features" to refer to aspects of the site uncovered during excavation. Features can include structures, refuse disposal pits, deposits containing the remains of fires or work activities and many other things which leave behind in the ground human cultural deposits for us to find. Below are links to images and brief descriptions of some of the features that we have discovered in our research on various parts of the Arsenal site and related matters.

Click on the links below to see more information about various aspects of Arsenal Archaeology.

* I would like to thank Augusta State University for the opportunity to carry out research on the campus. Without the cooperation and assistance of the University administration, the Department of History and Anthropology and the personnel of the ASU Physical Plant this research effort would be impossible. I have also received assistance from ASU Media Services and the Reese Library. Mr. Joe Lee, who grew up in the neighborhood and has family connections to the Arsenal is to be commended for his generosity in sharing a number of early photographs taken on the Arsenal grounds. Thanks are also due to the many student volunteers and employees who have carried the work forward over a period of years, often under difficult conditions. I am indebted to various colleagues who have passed on information concerning the history of the Arsenal. Others agencies have contributed to this project including, the Augusta Richmond County Historical Society, SRARP (Savannah River Archaeology Research Project at the Savannah River Site) and the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. My sincerest thanks to all.