United States. Work Projects Administration of Georgia

The Irene Mound was situated on the western bluff of the Savannah River along the south bank of the estuary of Pipe Maker's Creek. It was approximately five miles along the river from the center of Savannah. The Savannah State Docks are now on the site. In 1937, the United States government decided to excavate Irene Mound. A Works Progress Administration (WPA) project, the field excavation crew was comprised entirely of African American women. The entire project took more two years to complete.

The Work Projects Administration (W.P.A.) was created by Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidential order in 1935 and became the largest New Deal agency, employing millions of people and affecting almost everywhere in the United States. The W.P.A. provided jobs and income to unemployed Americans during the Great Depression and was integral in building up the nation's infrastructure and operating arts, media, literacy, and recreation projects for Americans.