Phase I Archaeological Survey for the Proposed SR 230 at Big Branch Creek Bridge Replacement, Dodge County, Georgia

On July 25-27 2017, Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc. (EPEI) conducted a Phase I archaeological survey for the proposed State Route (SR) 230/Lower River Road at Big Branch Creek bridge replacement, in Dodge County, Georgia (Georgia Department of Transportation [GDOT] P.I. No. 0013824). The proposed project would consist of replacing the existing bridge with one sufficient to meet the recommended structural integrity. The goal of the survey was to locate and evaluate archaeological resources within the area of potential effect (APE) of the proposed undertaking so that potential effects to identified cultural resources could be evaluated in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

The project is located 8.3 miles northwest of Rhine, in Dodge County, Georgia, and consists of replacing the existing bridge. In addition to the APE, a 100-foot buffer, or expanded survey corridor (ESC), was also surveyed per GDOT guidelines for Phase I survey. The combined APE and ESC may hereafter be referred to as the survey area.

Three new archaeological sites, 9DG143-145, were surveyed and four were recorded as a result of this survey. The sites are best described as Precontact period artifact scatters. Each is recommended as of unknown National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility under Criterion D based on the lack of a full site boundary. For sites 9DG143 and 9DG145, the portions of the sites located in both the APE and ESC lack significant research potential. The portion of site 9DG144 located within the ESC potentially contains data potential because there exists a potential to refine its chronology based on the artifact assemblage located in deeply buried deposits on a higher landform. In addition, a site form was filled out for the Old Daniels Baptist Church Cemetery as 9DG146. The cemetery was in a lot adjacent to survey area parcels and mostly blocked from view by woods, but may be visible during other parts of the year and was thus recorded based on the cemetery procedures but was not evaluated for the NRHP under Criterion D. The associated Historic Resources Survey Report (HRSR) recommended the Old Daniels Church Cemetery as eligible for the NRHP under Criterion C and under Criteria Consideration D for its local significance as a collection of monument types and styles (Champeau 2017). This recommendation was concurred with by the State Historic Preservation Office on December 28, 2017.