Battle of Brier Creek Memorial - Screven County, GA

This project offered a memorial for the Battle of Brier Creek. The proposed memorial location is nestled in the Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area along the Savannah River. The process included a summary of the location, historical significance of the battle, and goals to be achieved in the memorial site development. The proposed concept, the Enclosure, is a landscape narrative journey leading to a permanent ending which parallels the battle and outcome.

Several of the guiding principles included a low maintenance landscape and memorial which can be easily maintained, the ability to host a small number of visitors on a day-to-day basis with dedicated parking, while accommodating a larger crowd of 50+ visitors during the annual battle remembrance ceremony in early March. The site offers accommodations for the annual flag ceremony honoring the fallen, integrated into the memorial, and a memorial that respects the landscape character and operations of the Wildlife Management Area, while thoughtfully telling the story of the battle.

The Enclosure, the master plan concept, includes a meandering path leading the individual through the landscape telling the narrative of the Battle of Brier Creek. Informative panels will be strategically located to enhance the visitor’s experience. The historical significance, facts of the battle, the devastating ending, and the consequences of the defeat are transcribed on the panels. Moving along the path, viewsheds will be controlled by the incorporation of earth mounds, path layout, and vegetation.

The path ends by opening in an open space while still enclosed on the perimeter by the memorial wall, the earth mounds, and plants. The final space is designed to provoke the feeling of defeat; the memorial wall is a symbol of remembrance of the fallen militia, a dominating anchor for the space and an engaging element for the public.