The Battle of Barber's Creek
Stoneman's Raid on Athens, Georgia
August 2, 1864
The Athens 64 Breastworks Preservation Group was orginally organized in 1990 by local citizens of the Clarke and Oconee County area. Our interest is in the protection and preservation of the Civil War Battlefield Site at Barber's and McNutts Creek. Our long term goal is to develop the site into a Historical Public Park for future generations to cherish. This Park project will preserve a part of Athen's history, a part that is little known. The recorded history conveys how the townspeople pulled together to defend their lives, property, and city in a very heroic way. The individuals that manned the entrenchments were mostly elderly and disabled men and young boys not old enough to enlist in the army. In addition, the women of Athens played an important part by preparing supplies and bandages for the possible wounded. The African-American population was involved most likley as slaves in the construction of the enplacements.
We have been able to protect the area and get it locally designated as a historical site. The site also qualifies for the National Register of Historical Places. In addition, our organization has the support of the Georgia Civil War Commission and the Athens-Clarke County government. We have been able to list the site on the Georgia Civil War Heritage Trail System.
We are now looking for ways to receive grants and donations to pursue the park plan.
The site is 14.77 acres and has a lot of natural beauty. Its rolling hills and large hardwood trees make the site quite peaceful. As you walk the site and approach the two adjoining creeks one can really enjoy the serenity of this location from beginning to end. To the west of the site lies the remains of a Chreokee and Woodland Indian village which makes the area more of a diamond in the rough. The value of having a historical park as significant as this in the midst of our community stretches farther than the local boundaries. Civil War sites are one of the hottest tourist attractions in the country. They draw visitors from all over the world including international visitors. Intact Civil War entrenches are quite rare as most have been plowed under or built over in the 150 years since the war.
The Artillery Gunpits/Lunettes and the Infantry trenches at this site are in surprisingly good shape. In addition, the covered bridge pillars are also in good condition and it is easy to imagine the span of the bridge. The elements of nature have been very reluctant and patient in erasing the remnants of this site, as if mysteriously giving us time to protect it from harm's way.
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The Athens 64 Breastworks Preservation Group feels now is the time to open our arms and grasp a chance of a lifetime to protect and preserve this Battlefield and develop the site into a park.
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This diagram is a layout of one plan for the park development. The entire site would be handicap accessible with no more than a 10 degree slope. The parking lot has been designed to accommodate 40+ cars and 2 buses. There will be a Visitors Center, Museum, and Restrooms. In addition, there will be a reenactment area with spectator seating.
The Artillery gunpits would have boardwalk trails that lead to the Infantry trenches. The trenches would also have boardwalk trails that will wrap around the slope of the hillside. There are over 1000+ feet of trenches and the design would convey to the visitors the switch back trench and how it worked. The last aspect of the site would be a trail that runs to the creeks and pillars of the covered bridge. The park would have interpretive signs to educate all spectators and direct them to the next attraction. The entire park will take up approximately 14.77 acres.
This Historical Public Park, if developed, can be a valuable asset to the Athens Community, a community we love to call
"The Classic City"
Archaeological Team is on it's way
On June 27, 2008 The Athens 1864 Breastworks Preservation Group received its first grant award for the Barber's Creek Battlefield site. The grant can from the Athens Area Junior Board of the Watson Brown Foundation, Inc. Funds from this grant will be used toward the Archaeological survey for the Barber's Creek Battlefield.
The archaeological survey and infrared thermal imaging of the site will be done the week of July 14th 2008. It will take about five days to complete the work. As work begins at the site results will be posted on this webpage. The survey team will consist of four members they are as follows:
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Steven D. Smith (Associate Director for Applied Research at the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology & Anthropology, Columbia, SC)
Steven has a master's degree from the University of Kentucky and is the head of the Applied Research Divison at SCIAA. He has thirty-two years professional experience in archaeology as a historical archaeologist in a private firm and on the Louisiana SHPO staff, Deputy State Archaeologist for South Carolina, and for the last sixteen years, a historical archaeologist/P.I. at SCIAA. His research interests include military sites archaeology and military history which has led to his work at numerous Revolutionary War and Civil War era sites.
Steve's role in the Barber's Creek site project will be to conduct a reconnaissance level metal detection survey of the property, focusing on those areas likely to have been the location of an encampment as well as trenches and gun pits. Steve's expertise may also be used in locating any historic Native American presence that would be typified by the presence of metal artifacts.
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Jonathan M. Leader (South Carolina State Archaeologist, Columbia, S.C)
Jonathan received his Ph. D. from the University of Florida Gainesville, and currently heads the Office of the State Archaeologist. His research interests and background include the ancient Near East, Micoronesia, Eastern United States pre and proto-history, submerged resources, cultural resource management, remote sensing and GIS, archaeometry, archaeometallurgy, and conservation. He teaches and lectures on a regular basis in four departments at the University of South Carolina. The most current research projects include the H.L. Hunley project; the SC Cannons project; The Bahamas project; the Florence Stockade; and the SCIAA Digitized Publications project.
Jon's role in the Barber's Creek site project will focus on remote sensing, using ground-penetrating radar to search for subsurface archaeological features such as pits, burials or buried materials. Topographic changes may also be revealed.
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Richard Owens (Preservation Manager - Project Manager at York County Culture & Heritage Commission, Rock Hill, SC)
Richard received his Masters Degrees in Historic Preservation and Construction Science from Clemson University. Rick currently serves as Preservation Manager-Project Manager for the York County Culture & Heritage Commision in Rock Hill, South Carolina where he maintains historic structures at Historic Brattonville, a living history site. Since 1990, he has worked on numerous historic presevation projects in eight states ranging from Pennsylvania to Georgia. Well-known throughout South Carolina in the presevation community, he is chairman of the Greenville County Historic Preservation Commission and is interested in all facets of historic preservation from archaeology to historic reconstruction.
Rick's role in the Barber's Creek site project will be to assist in all areas of data recovery. He has expertise in archaeological fieldwork and an interest in bothmetal detecting and ground-penetrating radar while also coordinating an infrared thermal survey of the Barber's Creek site.
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Annette L. Snapp (Professional Archaeological Consultant)
Annette received her Ph.D. from Oxford, England and currently works as an archaeological, historic preservation, and museum consultant. She has nineteen years of experience as a professional archaeologist, conducting archaeological surveys to locate and identify archaeological resources. She has been involved with infrared thermal imaging projects to assist in the location of buried archaeological features and continues to have an interest in remote sensing and new technologies. Her research interests include the prehistory of the Southeastern United States as well as contact era studies, examining the interactions between Native American people and colonial settlers.
Annette's role in the Barber's Creek site project is to serve as project manager and undertake archaeological subsurface testing to search for possible Civil War encampment locations and any Native American archaeological sites present on the Barber's Creek site.