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In addition to these sites, investigations have been conducted at the Jackson Landincf site. This site is an archaeological complex which includes an arc shaped earth work, at least one earth mound, and several areas of shell midden. During the investigations, undertaken in 1972 by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, fourteen test pits and several excavation trenches were located in the earthwork, and numerous additional test excavations were placed in midden deposits south of the earthwork (Williams n.d.). Although the earthworks were long considered to be an historic fortification, Williams concluded the construction occurred during the late Marksville period (ca. 200 A.D.). Subsequently the eastern portion of the site was reoccupied by Indians during the historic period.
Investigations in the general vicinity of the Port Bienville Industrial Park have illustrated, therefore, the presence of both prehistoric and historic utilization of the area. Within the Industrial Park, investigations have been limited and, prior to the present study, have produced no evidence of significant cultural activity. The previous projects have been confined to one 25 acre tract in Lot 54. The first project was a cultural resources survey of the tract carried out by Dale Creenwell under contract with the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission (Creenwell 1 979). Creenwell used a combination of field techniques including pedestrian survey and subsurface testing. In his survey report, he noted the presence of three areas of cultural activity in the 25 acre tract, a Marksville period occupation in the northern portion, a Marksville mound and occupation underlain by an Archaic occupation in the western portion, and a small Marksville occupation in the southern portion. Given the results of his survey and the proximity of the Industrial Park to the Cedarland and Claiborne site locations to the north, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History recommended that the sites be tested for eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places.
New World Research, Inc. was contracted by the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission to undertake the required testing program of Greenwell's reported sites. Their investigations, which included a radial transect survey to locate site boundaries and the excavation of 1 m x 1 m test pits to depths of approximately 50 cm below the surface (site depths reported by Greenwell to have been 32 cm below the surface), failed to produce any evidence of the three cultural areas. Only two artifacts were recovered in the entire project area and consisted of a plain body sherd and one Poverty Point object fragment. The testing program did reveal considerable surface and subsurface disturbance resulting from bulldozing and canal dredging which could have obliterated evidence of more substantial cultural activity if the area had been inhabited in the prehistoric period.
Prior to the present project, no investigations had been carried out in the 30 acre tract of Lot 84 scheduled for petrochemical plant construction. A local informant indicated to New World Research, Inc. during the above testing project that a historic site may be located in the vicinity of the 30 acre tract, but no further information was available at that time.
*-in an earlier report. New World Research, I nc. (1 979) recommended that Jackson Landing be applied as a site name and single number lo what havc-tormerly been considered seperate, but somewhat confusing site information. Used here the Jackson Landing site includes the Jackson Landing site, the Mulatto Bayou site, and the Ancient Earthworks site (variously listed as site numbers 22 Ha 6, 22 Ha 504, 22 Ha 515).


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