Archaeological Test Excavations at Reaves Point, Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point (MOTSU), Brunswick County, North Carolina

摘要

During the week April 9-13, 1984 test excavation were conducted at Reaves Point, N.C. Historical sources (Sprunt 1896) had named Reaves Point as the site of the Robert Howe plantation and described earthen mounds on the point as the remnants of a Revolutionary War battle fought between British soldiers under Cornwallis and local defenders of the How plantation. Harbor improvement plans for the Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point (MOTSU) call for the removal of Reaves Point, so archaeological and archival investigations became necessary to determine the presence or absence of significant remains in the project area. Tests of the mounds showed no signs that they were built or used as fortifications. Tests of the two older ramps at the Point showed a buried level of burned coal and wood, possibly traces of a steamboat refueling stop. Archival research failed either to prove or disprove Howe's ownership of Reaves Point, but demonstrated that Howe owned Kendall plantation at the time of the Revolution. The contractor does not recommend additional archaeological work within the Reaves Point project area.