Cultural Resources Survey of Two Housing Tracts for Camp Merrill

In November and December 1992 Southeastern Archeological Services conducted an intensive cultural resources survey of two tracts on which the US Army's Camp Merrill is considering building housing. No plans for the housing are available. We refer to the two tracts as "Dahlonega", a 38 HA (95 ac) tract located 2 km north of the town of Dahlonega, and "Hidden Lake", a 30 ha (75 ac) tract located about 3 km east of Camp Merrill. Archival background research was conducted at local museums, archeological repositories and at the US Forest Service headquarters in Gainesville. Field survey consisted of intensive surface inspection with shovel testing on landforms that could contain sites. The Dahlonega tract contained five sites, three small sparse lithic scatters, one combination historic house site and prehistoric lithic scatter, and a segment of a massive nineteenth century ditch or aqueduct that provided water power to hydraulic gold mines in Dahlonega. Commonly known as the Hand Ditch, this raceway began at Yahoola Creek about 10 km north of Dahlonega and followed the contours of the land southward, except in two places where large trestles carried the water in metal tubes over valleys. At Dahlonega the water in the ditch was several hundred feet above valley floors and was tapped into to create water pressure for water cannons that washed away hillsides to expose gold deposits. The ditch was designed in the 1850s and built in the early 1860s and is about 24 km in length, not including several branch ditches that fed from the main trunk line. The project area contains about 2 km of this ditch, most of which is well preserved. Small portions of the project area have been disturbed by an egg laying facility that was built in the 1960s. We recommend that the Hand Ditch (archeological site 9LU52) is eligible to the National Register of Historic Places at the State level of significance under criteria a (significant events), c (representative of a type and method of construction) and d (can yield important information). We recommend that the other four sites at the Dahlonega tract are not eligible to the National Register. The Hidden Lake tract contained three sites, a small sparse lithic scatter, a rock pile, and a moderately dense lithic and ceramic scatter (9LU49). We recommend that 9LU49 and the rock pile (9LU51) are potentially eligible to the National Register. The nature and density of material recovered from the eleven positive shovel tests suggests that the site has sufficient integrity and content to yield information important to our understanding of prehistoric lifeways. The rock pile could be prehistoric; related to ceremonialism. However, the research potential of the two sites is only suggested and cannot be demonstrated to exist with current survey data. The sites will need further archeological testing to determine their eligibility status. The other site at Hidden Lake is recommended not eligible to the National Register. Each tract contains one or two sites that will require further attention. At the Dahlonega tract, the Hand Ditch winds its way through the tract and will be difficult to avoid, especially if the panhandle portion of the tract to the northeast is an access route. If state officials (SHPO) concur that the site is eligible and it cannot be avoided, a mitigation program will be necessary. While the state will have input into this mitigation plan, it could very well consist of thoroughly documenting the ditch with measured drawings, plan maps, photographs, further documentary research and limited archeological investigation. At Hidden Lake the two potentially eligible sites will require archeological testing to determine eligibility status if they cannot be avoided and protected. If either cannot be avoided and is found to be eligible, then a mitigation program will need to be formulated and implemented. Potentially eligible site 9LUS1 (the rock pile) is at the extreme northeastern corner of the tract and can almost certainly be avoided. Site 9LU47 is near the center of the tract and probably cannot be avoided.