Public history graduate student advances maritime archeological research on Georgia’s coastal past

April 22, 2025

Caleb Hartshorn, a public history graduate student, has been pursuing his dream job of being a paleontologist for as long as he can remember. However, after taking a brief field school excursion to the desert, he learned one very painful lesson:

“Paleontology mostly happens in the desert, and the desert and I do not get on well,” he quipped. “The sand and the sun did an absolute number on me over the course of two weeks, and I realized that was not the program I wanted to do.”

Yet, the Columbus, Georgia, native had no interest in abandoning his dreams. Instead, he sought new ways to seek his passions. He was always fascinated by history, but was fueled by the “aha!” moments of discovering history in the field.

That’s what led him to research maritime archaeology at Georgia Southern. Hartshorn and his mentor and professor, Kurt Knoerl, Ph.D., are diving into the fascinating world of maritime archaeology on Ossabaw Island, off the Georgia coast. Hartshorn’s research, part of his master’s degree program, focuses on uncovering the history of this island, particularly its 18th and 19th-century past. 

Hartshorn’s work includes archaeological surveys, archival research and the development of an ArcGIS Map, which is a geographic information system. The project, conducted in collaboration with the Ossabaw Island Foundation, aims to catalog remnants of the island’s history, including Colonial-era structures and even modern debris. By mapping the locations of these findings, Hartshorn is laying the groundwork for future researchers.

“The idea is that this map will serve as a springboard for later projects in the area,” he said. “Ten years from now, if somebody else is out there, they can just add on to what’s been put in there.”

One of the highlights of his research, on display in a new exhibit, “A Maritime Legacy,” in the Learning Commons on the University’s Armstrong Campus through May, is the immersive experience of working in a place untouched by human hands for generations. 

This hands-on experience not only deepened his understanding of the island’s history but also brought history to life in a way that textbooks never could.

“You get maybe 20 or 30 feet out into the woods and it looks like no one’s ever been there,” he reminisced. “Just a completely empty forest. You’re driving along a little trail, but sometimes there’s no trail, then you’ll take a turn and find a pile of shells. It just looks like a regular pile of shells, but when you look closer, you can see some of them were used as tools by people who were in this same spot two or three thousand years ago just going about their daily lives, walking possibly the same trail you’re walking now. It really puts into perspective just how long this island has been inhabited.”

Knoerl praised Hartshorn’s dedication, noting his talent for combining fieldwork with meticulous archival research.

“Ossabaw Island is like a lot of the Georgia Sea Islands,” he said. “These were enclaves for enslaved communities. There’s so much of Georgia’s history, including the development of the Gullah Geechee culture, that took place on those islands. It’s an understudied area, and so we’re happy to have this opportunity to record and preserve as much of that history as we can to study it and to share that with as many people, because it’s such an amazing part of Georgia’s history.”

For Hartshorn, the experience has been a dream come true, combining his love of history with archaeological exploration. His passion for finding forgotten stories buried in the ground, untouched for centuries, makes his work both meaningful and transformative for Georgia’s historical narrative.