Savannah River Agates found near Girard, Georgia!

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
This is mostly chert but some of it is pretty translucent. Can also find coral, shells, fossils, shark's teeth and Native American artifacts.
I've only gone once and that was last week. You have to stay in the road bed, banks, and ditches. All holes dug must be filled back in.
 

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Artfuldodger

Senior Member
Was reading that this stuff was well wanted by Native Americans and they fought over this area. I would imagine it would knap well. They also heated a lot of it before working.
I didn't even take any picks of any nodules, but average looking.
 

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Artfuldodger

Senior Member
That nodule looks like a form of Brier Creek chert, which is found around that area. Second looks druzy quartz crystal. Lot of that around here where I am.
Might be the same, we were really close to Brier Creek. We crossed it on the West side of Girard. I would agree that the other is druzy quartz.
I've never seen anything like this place as having so much chert. I do know there is a lot up in Northwest Georgia. The roadscrapers have really pushed a lot of it up and I guess broke it into small pieces. Yet there as still some pieces buried that would be about as big as a 5 gallon bucket.
Here is a local club field trip report with a little history.
http://www.aikengmfs.org/PowerPoint...6TEERgQJceAz0LOTW2CDKEFfMvu_jNXzUj7CJ4QNBj0I8
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
Interesting reading on Briar Creek chert and points;

It is possible that large Paleoindian sites in the Southeast are permanent or semi-permanent base camps from which resources of specific territories were exploited. Trade or transportation of stone tools appears to decrease as Late Paleoindian groups relied on local materials for their needs. Nowhere in Georgia should this trend be more apparent than in Burke County, where Briar Creek chert resources are both abundant and of sufficient quality to influence tool and point manufacture. The SGA survey record, with admittedly some bias of availability of examples, shows the recovery of 120 Dalton points in Burke County and 77 in Columbia County, both located near the Briar Creek chert outcropping. Jefferson and Richmond Counties, both of which are near Briar Creek, have yielded Dalton points, but not in such large numbers. Other surrounding counties have likely used the Briar Creek stone resource as well, but it does seem that this high quality resource was at least a key consideration in settlement choice.
 
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Artfuldodger

Senior Member
One area mentioned on an old archeological survey is Stony Bluff on the river in Burke County, We were digging right off of Stony Bluff road almost at the river where Stony Bluff is located. Little Sweetwater Creek near there is also mentioned on this survey.

A few other sites were mentioned along Briar Creek south of Girard about five miles near Ellison Bridge Road.
 
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trad bow

wooden stick slinging driveler
Interesting information. Thanks for posting. Around thirty years ago a friends own some property on the Oconee river just north of Dublin. He found a spot on his property that looked like a mine. We started digging around and big chunks of rock that looked just like pictures in post 6. There were some rocks too big to dig out.
 

Nicodemus

The Recluse
Staff member
Interesting information. Thanks for posting. Around thirty years ago a friends own some property on the Oconee river just north of Dublin. He found a spot on his property that looked like a mine. We started digging around and big chunks of rock that looked just like pictures in post 6. There were some rocks too big to dig out.


That particular form of chert is what we call Bay Branch chert. Fair amount of it in Laurens County. That stuff is tough as woodpecker lips, but it makes some mighty durable tools and points.
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
Interesting information. Thanks for posting. Around thirty years ago a friends own some property on the Oconee river just north of Dublin. He found a spot on his property that looked like a mine. We started digging around and big chunks of rock that looked just like pictures in post 6. There were some rocks too big to dig out.
I saw a Turkey Creek site in Laurens County mentioned. It's off hwy257 south of Dublin.
http://www.peachstatearchaeologicalsociety.org/index.php/33-site-surveys
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
That particular form of chert is what we call Bay Branch chert. Fair amount of it in Laurens County. That stuff is tough as woodpecker lips, but it makes some mighty durable tools and points.
You keep throwing these terms out there and I have to google, lol. I spent some time looking at Briar Creek info. Seems to have some chert that's Flint River associated and some that's Allendale, SC associated.
Now I've go to search Bay Branch. I don't do any knapping, just a rock hound but I do enjoy the geology and association with Native American history.
One guy said his brother found a knife on River Road where we were looking and a saw a custom made Briar Creek Flint Knapped Knife on ebay.
 

trad bow

wooden stick slinging driveler
I like primitive archery but old man disease done caught up with me so no knapping anymore. But I absolutely love rocks and have them stack all over my yard.
 

Nicodemus

The Recluse
Staff member
You keep throwing these terms out there and I have to google, lol. I spent some time looking at Briar Creek info. Seems to have some chert that's Flint River associated and some that's Allendale, SC associated.
Now I've go to search Bay Branch. I don't do any knapping, just a rock hound but I do enjoy the geology and association with Native American history.
One guy said his brother found a knife on River Road where we were looking and a saw a custom made Briar Creek Flint Knapped Knife on ebay.


A lot of the words and terms you see me using will probably not show up on Google or elsewhere since they are just local and region specific to South Georgia.

Since we don`t have as many fancy words as the dandified folks, we have to make our few words stand up and do tricks. :)
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
A lot of the words and terms you see me using will probably not show up on Google or elsewhere since they are just local and region specific to South Georgia.

Since we don`t have as many fancy words as the dandified folks, we have to make our few words stand up and do tricks. :)
That's true and I figured as much some terms could be local. Sorta like trout vs bass or crappie vs speckled perch. Also some names in trades like a toilet plunger vs a force pump are different between localities. I called a little pry bar a Wonder bar and the Yankee carpenter didn't know what I was talking about here in Augusta.
 

Beardenr

New Member
I was contemplating a trip down to river rd In Girard with my kids. Is it still ok to rock hound the road and ditches? Are there any other nearby areas that have good agate findings? Not familiar with the area at all. I’m from West GA near I-20 so this is nearly a 4 hr trip.
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
I was contemplating a trip down to river rd In Girard with my kids. Is it still ok to rock hound the road and ditches? Are there any other nearby areas that have good agate findings? Not familiar with the area at all. I’m from West GA near I-20 so this is nearly a 4 hr trip.
It's OK, some Burke county road workers slowed down and said hello. Not much traffic. Not sure about other places near there.

If I lived in west Georgia I'd probably take the kids to Hogg Mine in Lagrange or go to Summerville and look for agates. You can call Patty Construction Company on highway 27 in Summerville and get permission to dig there. It's near Sloppy Floyd State Park. I've never been to either of those places.
This place is OK just not ideal for kids and a 4 hour drive. I'd probably go to Diamond Hill Mine, SC near Abbeville before I went to River Road. You can't find diamonds there but some interesting quartz clusters, etc.

Might also check out Paint Rock Agate around Trenton, Alabama. Not sure if they have any mines but is sure is some pretty stuff.
 

Beardenr

New Member
It's OK, some Burke county road workers slowed down and said hello. Not much traffic. Not sure about other places near there.

If I lived in west Georgia I'd probably take the kids to Hogg Mine in Lagrange or go to Summerville and look for agates. You can call Patty Construction Company on highway 27 in Summerville and get permission to dig there. It's near Sloppy Floyd State Park. I've never been to either of those places.
This place is OK just not ideal for kids and a 4 hour drive. I'd probably go to Diamond Hill Mine, SC near Abbeville before I went to River Road. You can't find diamonds there but some interesting quartz clusters, etc.

Might also check out Paint Rock Agate around Trenton, Alabama. Not sure if they have any mines but is sure is some pretty stuff.
We go to Hogg mine all the time. We’ve also been over to north Alabama and got some agate there. Don’t know the name Of the place, but it was near a “famous” sink hole. We were just driving around and stumbled upon it going up a mountain. We Have also been up to northwest GA on a fossil find.
I seen river rd on YouTube and thought it might be interesting. We have plans to go to diamond hill this year as well as the Graves spring and fall dig.
Wouldn’t mind hunting for some shark teeth fossils. I hear there are some in Savannah.
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
We go to Hogg mine all the time. We’ve also been over to north Alabama and got some agate there. Don’t know the name Of the place, but it was near a “famous” sink hole. We were just driving around and stumbled upon it going up a mountain. We Have also been up to northwest GA on a fossil find.
I seen river rd on YouTube and thought it might be interesting. We have plans to go to diamond hill this year as well as the Graves spring and fall dig.
Wouldn’t mind hunting for some shark teeth fossils. I hear there are some in Savannah.
I would say definitely go to River Road if you were in the area or on the way to Savannah. I just watched a You tube video of that guy in a motorhome with his dog on River Road.
We are planning on going to Graves this spring. We went to Diamond Hill in November. We'll definitely go back to River Road soon. Might could take it in if you are at one of the other places and spent a night or two over this way.
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
We go to Hogg mine all the time. We’ve also been over to north Alabama and got some agate there. Don’t know the name Of the place, but it was near a “famous” sink hole. We were just driving around and stumbled upon it going up a mountain. We Have also been up to northwest GA on a fossil find.
I seen river rd on YouTube and thought it might be interesting. We have plans to go to diamond hill this year as well as the Graves spring and fall dig.
Wouldn’t mind hunting for some shark teeth fossils. I hear there are some in Savannah.

Here are the driving directions. You can find some stuff before the first little creek and on the other side of the creek to the top of the hill. That part past the creek to the top of the hill is more noted for finding and we did find more there than before the creek.

From Girard continue on for another three-tenths mile and turn left onto Stoney Bluff Road. Go eight miles and bare left onto the dirt road, Stoney Bluff Landing. From here, go two-tenths mile and turn left onto River Road. Go about two-tenths mile and stop. You can start collecting here.
 
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