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Phase III Data Recovery of 9CH1087 Chatham County, Georgia SAS-1997-00130

Author(s)
Report Number
10960
Year of Publication
2018
County
Abstract

In May and June 2017, Environmental Services, Inc., (ESI) conducted Phase III-level data recovery investigation at site 9CH1087 in northern Chatham County, Georgia. The project was conducted on behalf of IKEA, pursuant to a permit application through the US Army Corps of Engineers. This site was identified during a 2005 survey followed by Phase II site evaluation survey in 2006.

ESI generated a research design in November 2016 that took into account the nature of the cultural resource, past data collected from the site, and the knowledge that the site had been severely disturbed by the clearing and rooting of vegetation in 2006. The research design proposed the excavation of five mechanically assisted blocks measuring 10 by 20-meters at each of the four cabins that will be impacted by the proposed truck parking facility, and in close proximity to Cabin 4 which is located on an adjacent property. The USACE and Georgia DNR –

HPD concurred with the research design with the addition of metal detecting and ground penetrating radar.

Five areas were cleared of vegetation at each cabin location. Within these cleared areas metal detecting and ground penetrating radar was conducted to further pin-point areas of interest.

Concentrations of those areas were included in the mechanical striping of blocks measuring 10 by 20-meters for a total of 1,000 square meters of exposed ground surface. As a result, a total of

28 subsurface features was identified and collectively produced 128 artifacts. The low number of cultural features, and the relatively low frequency of artifacts compared to the Phase II investigation is due to the extensive disturbance caused by the post-2006 clearing and rooting of the site area. The lack of intact cultural deposits and associated artifacts greatly reduced the ability of this study to provide significant new information regarding the 1910 through 1941 occupation and occupants.