 In 1926, Ashley began work at what is now known as the Shinholser site (9Bl12) in Baldwin County, Georgia.In July 1927, she began working on her dissertation topic, “An Archaeological Survey of Georgia”.By September of that year, already recognized as an expert in her field, Ashley was asked to organize a department of archaeology for Emory University and to represent Emory in Warren K. Moorehead’s excavations at the Etowah site in northern Georgia.