Final Report: Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed River Bend at Fort Gaines Development, Clay County, Georgia

Southern Research, Historic Preservation Consultants, Inc. conducted a cultural resources survey of a proposed residential and commercial development in Fort Gaines, Clay County, Georgia. The proposed development (the Area of Potential Effect [APE]) is located primarily within an open pasture along the Chattahoochee River one mile below the Walter F. George Lock and Dam. The entire proposed development is included in the Fort Gaines Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1984. Preliminary plans for the development call for a residential neighborhood, the rehabilitation and reuse of certain standing structures for commercial purposes, and the digging of a channel to the Chattahoochee River near the base of the high bluff overlooking the project area. Because certain actions of the development require U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permitting, compliance with Section 106 the National Historic Preservation Act is required.

The purpose of the investigation was to identify all cultural resources within the proposed development and to determine the eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places of any previously unknown archaeological sites. A large historic industrial complex and city water works are recognized as part of the Fort Gaines Historic District and are already listed on the National Register.

Archaeological research revealed three new archaeological sites: 9CY198, 9CY199 and 9CY200. Archival and historic research revealed the archaeological remains and standing structures of a large industrial complex and a city water works that are part of the Fort Gaines Historic District, which was give the site number 9CY201. Five Isolated Finds (IF) located in the proposed development were also recorded. These resources are summarized Table 1 below.

Prehistoric sites 9CY199 and 9CY200 are located in the large pasture; both sites are recommended eligible to the National Register of Historic Places. The sites have some deposits occurring near the surface but most artifacts occur at least 20 cm below surface, with deposits on both sites appearing below 50 cm. Limited archaeological testing and covering the sites with a protective layer of fill soil is recommended for both prehistoric sites. The industrial complex/city water works, site 9CY201, have already been determined eligible and are listed on the National Register. Recording of the standing structures and archaeological ruins of 9CY201 is recommended. Site 9CY198, a brick scatter along the Chattahoochee River, is out of the APE and will not be affected. Finally, we recommend that a series of interpretative exhibits be located in the public areas of the development focusing on the natural and cultural resources of the region.