Phase II Archaeological Testing of 9CA33, US 78/SR 10 Lexington Road Widening, Clarke County, Georgia; GDTO Project No. STP00-0014-01(069), P.I. NO. 132660

Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc. (EPEI) conducted Phase II archaeological testing at 9CA33 within the area of potential effect (APE) of the United States (US) 78/State Route (SR) 10 widening project in Clarke County, Georgia. The proposed project (Georgia Department of Transportation [GDOT] Project No. STP00-0014-01[069], P.I. No. 132660) would widen an 8.1-mile stretch of US 78/SR 10 from Whit Davis Road west to Smokey Road. In the vicinity of 9CA33, plans call for widening the existing two-lane roadway to four through lanes with a 32-foot depressed grass median and a 10-foot rural outside shoulder. Two Phase I archaeological survey investigations preceded the Phase II, the first in 2008 (Lewis et al. 2011) and an addendum survey in 2013 (Quirk 2013). Both recommended the surveyed portions of 9CA33 (north and south of US 78/SR 10) as potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The Phase II testing investigations of 9CA33 were designed to evaluate site data potential as it relates to NRHP eligibility and included fieldwork sufficient for a recommendation of eligible or ineligible for the NRHP for the site’s APE portion. Past investigations identified both a Woodland period Cartersville phase component and a Late Mississippi period Lamar component at the site. The overall site boundary is unknown, but it is presently defined as measuring approximately 200 by 45 meters and extends across US 78/SR 10. A review of the extent of the APE prior to the Phase II investigations concluded that portions of the site identified during the 2013 addendum survey northeast of US 78/SR 10 are most threatened by the current widening project design, and this area was therefore the focus of testing efforts. The portion of 9CA33 identified during the 2008 survey to the southwest of US 78/SR 10 lies beyond the expected extent of required right-of-way (ROW) and construction limits. The Phase II at 9CA33 follows EPEI testing of eight sites in Oglethorpe County for the proposed US 78/SR 10 bypass (Lewis et al. 2011). The research design was informed by previous investigations and a thorough literature review of numerous prior archaeological investigations at similar sites in the plowed Piedmont uplands of the Oconee River valley. Such sites have contributed significantly to the ongoing study of settlement patterns and intra-site organization in the region through time. Phase II investigations within the APE at 9CA33 employed various proven field methods, including close interval shovel testing, hand-excavated test units, and small-scale mechanical stripping of test trenches in a sampling strategy designed to further evaluate the site’s data potential by critically examining factors such as site preservation and occupational history. Phase II testing results show that within the GDOT project APE, 9CA33 contains significant evidence of a Wolfskin phase Lamar occupation. Intact cultural features containing well-preserved deposits are present, and additional features are anticipated. The site contains data which would further inform research into the nature of Late Mississippian settlement in the region. Because Phase II Archaeological Testing of 9CA33, US 78/SR 10 ii Lexington Road Widening, Clarke County, Georgia additional excavations would yield significant information, 9CA33 is recommended eligible for the NRHP under Criterion D. More specifically, the Lamar locus of 9CA33 within the APE on the northern side of US 78/SR 10 is considered contributing to the site’s eligibility under Criterion D. Avoidance of this portion of the site is recommended if possible, otherwise Phase III Data Recovery investigations are recommended in order to mitigate against the inevitable data loss resulting from road construction. Phase II investigations also resulted in revisions to the boundary of 9CA33, such that two isolated positive shovel tests that were formerly included within the site boundary during addendum survey are now established as Isolated Finds (IFs) 13 and 14, which are by definition ineligible for the NRHP. The Phase II testing project did not assess NRHP eligibility for portions of the site beyond the present APE. The Lamar locus further west on the southwestern side of US 78/SR 10 remains potentially eligible as determined by previous survey results (Lewis et al. 2011), and additional testing is recommended should design alterations move this area into the project’s APE.