Phase I Cultural Resources Survey of the 102-Acre Riverside West Tract

In February 2017, Brockington and Associates, Inc. (Brockington) was contracted by Riverside DC Investors, LLC (Riverside DC) to conduct a Phase I Cultural Resources Survey (CRS) of the 102-acre Riverside West tract, located in Douglas County, Georgia. This 102-acre tract is one section of a larger development project on Riverside Parkway, for which Riverside DC is seeking an Individual Permit through Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 CFR 320-330), in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 (as amended through 2016), and 36 CFR 800 (Protection of Historic Properties). Brockington conducted this CRS to determine the effects of the proposed project on cultural resources in and adjacent to the Riverside West tract that are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

The current project includes archival research, archaeological survey, and architectural survey. Background research was conducted using Georgia's Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources GIS (GNAHRGIS) to locate and review previously identified cultural resources and cultural resource surveys within a 0.5-mile research buffer. The archaeological investigation was conducted using shovel testing and pedestrian survey across the tract, excluding previously surveyed areas. The architectural survey included a viewshed analysis of all potentially historic buildings or structures within the project tract or a 0.25-mile area surrounding the proposed development.

One previously identified archaeological site (9DO 180) is located within the project tract within the previously surveyed acreage, which was identified by SAS during the 2012 survey. Site 9DO180 is a small prehistoric lithic scatter that Braley (2013:38) recommended ineligible for the NRHP. Nine other previously identified archaeological sites have been recorded within the 0.5-mile survey buffer.

Two previously recorded archaeological resources are located on Sweetwater Creek adjacent to, but outside of, the project area. These include 9DO105, the Isaiah Love Fish Trap Dam, and 9DO179, Alexander's Mill site. Site 9DO105 was recorded by Bill Frazier in 1998 as part of his investigation of fish trap dams in the State of Georgia. Frazier did not assess this site for eligibility to the NRHP. Site 9DO179 was recorded by SAS in 2012. Braley (2013) states that this nineteenth-century grist mill was outside the SAS project area, and therefore was not assessed for eligibility to the NRHP.

Four small outparcels are located within, or directly adjacent to, the 102-acre project tract, all owned by the City of Douglasville. These four parcels each contain a historic site. These include the Alexander's Mil] site parcel (0.28 acres), the Alexander House site parcel (0.15 acres), the Mason House site parcel (0.02 acres), and the Jones House site parcel (0.06 acres). All four parcels were purchased by the City of Douglasville in 2003. While each parcel contains a portion of a historic site, only Alexander's Mill (9DO179), has been recorded and given an official site number by personnel at the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF). Brockington surveyed and evaluated all four of these historic sites for the NRHP after obtaining permission to access the parcels from the City of Douglasville.

No historic architectural resources were identified during our investigation. However, we identified seven archaeological sites during our survey and we examined three previously identified sites (9DO105, 9DO179, and 9DO180) (Table l) as part of these investigations.

We recommend that sites 9DO214, a prehistoric lithic scatter, 9DO218, a rock shelter overlooking Sweetwater Creek, and 9DO220, a twentieth-century house site, are ineligible for the NRHP, and that no further management of these sites is warranted. The NRHP eligibility of 9DO105, the Isiah Love Fish Trap Dam, is unknown. This site was difficult to identify and assess during field survey due to highwater in Sweetwater Creek in Spring, 2017.

Brockington recommends that five historic sites investigated during this project are eligible for the NRHP (9DO179, 9DO215, 9DO216, 9DO217, and 9OD219), including four that are partially owned by the City of Douglasville. Site 9DO 179, Alexander's Mill, is a nineteenth- to twentieth-century grist mill with intact surface features and intact subsurface cultural deposits. Site 9DO215 is a nineteenth- to twentieth-century house site with a chimney fall and intact subsurface deposits. It is likely associated with nearby 9DO216, which represents the remnants of a nineteenth- to twentieth-century blacksmith shop. Site 9DO216 contains a rock chimney pile and intact subsurface deposits with a high density of smithy and forge-related metal artifacts. Site 9DO217 appears to be the remnants of a nineteenth- to twentieth-century house site and distillery. This site contains a rock chimney pile and intact subsurface deposits. Site 9DO219 is a nineteenth- to twentieth-century house site with two rock chimney falls, a rock-lined house platform, two possible wells (or privies), and intact cultural deposits with a low to moderate density of cultural materials.

The proposed project includes the construction of a large warehouse building near the center of the 102-acre tract, at the top of a steep ridge. Due to topography and the heavily wooded character of the tract, only site 9DO219 is expected to be impacted by the proposed project. Sites 9DO 179, 9DO215, 9DO216, and 9DO217, all recommended eligible for the NRHP, are located down-slope from the proposed warehouse, near Sweetwater Creek, and will not be disturbed by construction activities nor be visible from the commercial development. As currently designed, the warehouse is located on the NRHP-eligible Alexander House site (9DO219), which is partially owned by the City of Douglasville. If Riverside DC acquires the parcel from the City of Douglasville and the proposed project moves forward, we recommend that site 9DO219 will require further management and investigation prior to any ground-disturbing activities. Brockington recommends that Phase II Testing of site 9DO219 to determine its eligibility is unnecessary, as the results of this Phase I CRS strongly indicate that the site meets Criterion D (information potential) of the NRHP for its potential to add to our understanding of Douglas County in the nineteenth century. Prior to any construction activities near or within 9DO219, Brockington recommends that a Phase III Data Recovery be undertaken to mitigate adverse effects to this historic property.