Phase I Archaeological Survey for the intersection improvements at SR 61/ Cartersville Highway and CR 473/ Dabbs Bridge Road, Paulding County, Georgia

On June 27-28, 2017, EPEI conducted a Phase I archaeological survey for the proposed SR 61/Dabbs Bridge Road intersection improvement (P.I. No. 0013950), in Paulding County, Georgia (Figure 1.1). The project is located in Paulding County approximately 10.4 miles north of Dallas, Georgia. The survey sought to identify archaeological sites and evaluate their eligibility for inclusion on the Georgia Register of Historic Places in order to assist the GDOT in compliance with

the Georgia Environmental Policy Act (GEPA), Georgia Code OCGA 12-16-2(3). The criteria for eligibility and procedures for listing resources on the Georgia Register of Historic Places are identical to those of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP); hence, NRHP eligibility will be referred to throughout this report. The survey work was conducted by EPEI for the GDOT under a contract with HNTB Corporation of Atlanta, Georgia. GDOT Project (P.I. No. 0013950) proposes to improve the existing skew of the intersection of SR 61 and Dabbs Bridge Road by reconstructing and widening the intersection to tie into the longrange programmed widening on SR 61 and Dabbs Bridge Road, which would widen each to four travel lanes, two in each direction. The existing right-of way (ROW) on SR 61 is 100 feet and the existing ROW on Dabbs Bridge Road is 60 feet. The proposed ROW for SR 61 is approximately 80 feet to 100 feet and for Dabbs Bridge Road it is approximately 80 feet. The typical section for both is two 12-foot lanes with 10-foot shoulders, 6.5 feet of which will be paved for bike shoulders. The required ROW for the intersection improvement varies from 200 feet to 310 feet on SR 61 and from 300-350 feet on Dabbs Bridge Road. The proposed approximate project limits are 1,100 feet east of Windrift Drive on Dabbs Bridge and extend approximately 1,200 feet south and 2,700 feet north of the existing intersection on SR 61.

The Principal Investigator in charge of EPEI’s Phase I investigations was Lynn Pietak, and the report was written and complied by David G. Hahs. Duncan Balinger served as Field Director and crew chief. Mr. Balinger was assisted in the field by Charles Brummeler, Kaitlen Hitt, and Johnny Bogle. Michael Hunt oversaw all laboratory work, including cataloging, and was responsible for report layout and editing. EPEI’s Archaeology Group Manager, Lynn Pietak, reviewed the report and provided comments for quality assurance and quality control. Notes, photographs, maps, and other records, including artifacts collected, produced during the project are temporarily curated at EPEI’s offices in Atlanta, Georgia. Following acceptance of the final report, copies of the final report and all project materials are curated at the Antonio J. Waring, Jr. Archaeological Laboratory, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia.

This report continues with a description of the survey area’s natural setting and an overview of the cultural background of the area including the precontact and historic context of the region in Chapter II. Chapter III describes field and laboratory methodology, resource evaluation criteria, and the curation procedures and repository. The results of the archaeological survey, including literature and map reviews, are presented in Chapter IV. Chapter V provides a summary for the Phase I survey which includes recommendations for all archaeological resources identified in the survey area. Following the main body of the report is a complete bibliography, the Georgia Archaeological Site Form (Appendix A), the Principal Investigator’s resume (Appendix B), an artifact catalog for the Phase I investigations (Appendix C), a copy of the Landowner Notification Letter and the addresses of those that received letters (Appendix D), and a copy of the plans used for the survey (Appendix E).