1. Introduction Prior to the 20 th century, the University was only one part of diverse communities that lived and worked in and around Sewanee. This project is part of a larger interdisciplinary effort to learn more about these people and how they lived and influenced changing land use practices across the region resulting in the landscape we see today. Following a 528 acre survey, two rock features were chosen for test excavations to determine their function and temporal placement. These sites are identified as the Cook Site (40FR607), and the Cedar Hollow Overlook Site (40FR608) (Figure 1). The Cedar Hollow Overlook Site in particular is currently being impacted by traffic on the perimeter trail. Thus, work on this site both informs our research and contributes to the management of the Domain’s cultural resources. Results The Cook Site (40FR607) A total of 751 artifacts were recovered from 3 units and 2 levels. The totals for each group are as follows: architecture (n=166), arms (n=4), clothing (n=10), domestic (n=193), food waste (n=77), lithic (n=18), and no group (n=1). Based on the artifacts recovered, it is a 1880- 1910 house site. Cedar Hollow Overlook (40FR608) A total of 236 artifacts were collected from 2 units and across 5 levels. The group totals are as follows: architecture (n=122), arms (n=6), clothing (n=7), domestic (n=43), and personal (n=3). Based on artifacts recovered, it is a 1870s house site Archaeological Testing of Two Late 19 th – Early 20 th c. Rural Farmsteads on the Domain Mason Niquette ENST:217: Fundamentals of GIS, Dr. Van de Ven, Instructor and Dr. Sarah Sherwood, Internship Advisor Methods Archival research was first undertaken to see if there were documents that referenced this area that might provide insights into who used this area and why. Archaeological excavations Excavation of 1x1m squares were dug in 10 cm levels. All sediment was passed through a ¼ inch screen and artifacts were collected. Mapping was done for the surrounding area and for each 10cm level. Photos were taken at the end of each level as well. Shovel test pits were dug by Nathan Bowman after excavations concluded within the Cook Site. Data collected from these will be used to map artifact distributions and densities across the site. Artifact analysis Aided by Historic Archaeologist Jen Price of Cultural Resource Analysts Inc., all artifacts were cataloged and identified as to functional group: architecture, arms, clothing, domestic, personal, and unidentified. In addition, two more groups were added for the Cook Site: no group and food waste. This grouping scheme is based upon Stanley South’s 1977 artifact grouping method. Diagnostic artifacts were assigned dates based on the earliest point of manufacture and terminal dates if they were not in use today. Information regarding age of artifacts is derived from a myriad of sources. References Landscape Analysis Lab (LAL). 2012. Sewanee: University of the South. http://lal.sewanee.edu/ Conclusion Prior to this research, the historic use of the area on the Domain beyond Cedar Hollow Lake was thought to be limited to coal extraction and wood cutting. One 20 th century house site is listed among the leases in the vicinity of the Cook Site based on Foley’s 1900 map. Based on the results of these test excavations and the types of artifacts recovered, both sites represent artifact densities and types indicating long term habitation beginning in the late 19 th c. and early 20 th c. This is an important step in understanding the history of these little known communities in the region. This project helps to identify the types of anthropogenic activities that may have created the vegetation communities and soil variation observed in the project area. As we seek to better protect and manage cultural resources across the Domain these types of limited studies can inform management decisions and help guide new land use plans. Figure 5: A bar graph comparing artifact types between sites. Figure 3: A map of the Cedar Hollow Overlook Site showing the topography of the site as well as how the perimeter trail impacts the units. Figure 1: Map showing the location of 40FR607 and 40FR608Figure 2: A map of the Cook Site showing the topography of the site as well as the locations of test units and shovel tests Figure 4: Pie charts showing the breakdown of artifacts by grouping for each site.