Cultural Resources Survey of the “Marth Berry Highway” Self-Supporting Tower, Damascus, Early County, Georgia Trileaf #652207

In November 2019, Trileaf Corporation (Trileaf) performed a cultural resource inventory survey for a proposed self-support communications tower located in Early County, Damascus, Georgia (Latitude: 31 ° 18' 13.59" Longitude: -84° 43' 0.90"). The project location is located within an agricultural field, and an existing dirt drive. Diamond Towers V LLC proposes the construction of a new self-support lattice telecommunications tower with a total height of 310 feet (94.5 meters). The new tower and associated equipment will be situated within a proposed approximate 100 x 100-foot (30.5 x 30.5 meter) cell tower lease area. A proposed approximate 20 x 750-foot (6.1 x 228.69 meter) access and utility easement will travel generally south to connect to Keaton Drive. Total acreage of the new construction area is approximately 0.57 acres (0.23 Hectares}. Senior Project Archaeologist Zach Horne, M.A., RPA, and Project Archaeologist 11, Colin Bean, M.A, under the direction of Trileaf, performed this survey in response to the planned use of the above described parcel and the potential impacts that such use might represent to archaeological and architectural cultural resources. The Phase I cultural resource survey was designed to discover all prehistoric and historical period cultural resources that might be present within the project area.

The field survey of the project area, which included a pedestrian survey, shovel testing, and visual inspection, found no evidence for the presence of archaeological or architectural properties in relation to the current project area's Direct APE. Additionally, no National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)-listed properties were identified within the project area's Direct APE. A review of archaeological sites and surveys, conducted by the university of Georgia on November 13, 2019, identified no previously recorded archeological sites, and two (2) surveys (10730 and 11698) that were identified within 1-mile of the proposed project area.