Reconstructing the layout of a coastal Georgia Plantation: Applications of LiDAR

Amanda D Roberts Thompson; Jonathan Cedric Finch

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103798

Reconstructing the layout of a coastal Georgia Plantation: Applications of LiDAR

Amanda D Roberts Thompson^*, Jonathan Cedric Finch

^*Corresponding author for this work

Archaeology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We present a case study using publicly available LiDAR and information from historical records to reconstruct the layout of the South End, a cotton plantation in operation from 1849 to 1861, on Ossabaw Island, Georgia in the southeastern United States. We approach problems such as the lack of maps, extant architecture, or geographically clear areas with an interwoven analysis of primarily-two datasets-LIDAR and historical documentation. Layering the datasets was a crucial component in the case study and allowed for the mapping of the entirety of the South End plantation. Broadening the view to the entire plantation as well as merging the data from LiDAR and the historic record provides the opportunity for future research to use that map as a baseline for not only understanding lost geographies of movement of enslaved individuals but also a way to elucidate the agency of those individuals within a plantation landscape.

Original language	English
Article number	103798
Number of pages	17
Journal	Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Volume	47
Early online date	5 Jan 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103798
Publication status	Published - 1 Feb 2023

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Plantation archaeology
LIDAR
landscape reconstruction
LANDSCAPE ARCHAEOLOGY
topographic analysis

Access to Document

10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103798

Reconstructing the Layout of a Coastal Georgia Plantation: Applications of LiDAR
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy.
Accepted author manuscript, 3.85 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

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abstract = "We present a case study using publicly available LiDAR and information from historical records to reconstruct the layout of the South End, a cotton plantation in operation from 1849 to 1861, on Ossabaw Island, Georgia in the southeastern United States. We approach problems such as the lack of maps, extant architecture, or geographically clear areas with an interwoven analysis of primarily-two datasets-LIDAR and historical documentation. Layering the datasets was a crucial component in the case study and allowed for the mapping of the entirety of the South End plantation. Broadening the view to the entire plantation as well as merging the data from LiDAR and the historic record provides the opportunity for future research to use that map as a baseline for not only understanding lost geographies of movement of enslaved individuals but also a way to elucidate the agency of those individuals within a plantation landscape.",

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