Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed Tyre Bridge Solar Farm, Pierce County, Georgia

Southern Research, Historic Preservation Consultants, Inc. has completed a Phase I Cultural Resources Survey of the proposed Tyre Bridge Solar Farm located in Pierce County, Georgia. The Area of Potential Effect (APE) is composed of multiple tracts of land totaling 1,631 acres. The tracts are all located north-northwest of Patterson, Georgia. Most of the acreage is located on the west side of Tyre Bridge Road, with two smaller tracts located east of Tyre Bridge Road. The southern tracts are drained by tributaries of Sixty Foot Branch and the rest of the APE is drained by tributaries of Big Satilla Creek; both Sixty Foot Branch and Big Satilla Creek are tributaries of the Little Satilla River. Most of the tracts are in row crops or silviculture (both recent clear cut areas and uncut areas). Several extant historic buildings, both residential and utilitarian, are located within the APE, though none of these are in use. A reconnaissance level survey of most of the tracts was conducted in April 2019 (Wood 2019). Seven of the sites recorded during the reconnaissance survey were revisited during the current study; eight previously unrecorded sites and seven isolated finds were also investigated during the current study. None of the sites investigated during the current study appear to have significant research potential and, therefore, all are recommended not eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Five properties within the viewshed of the APE contain one or more historic buildings. Only one of these five properties appears to have sufficient integrity and historical significance to be eligible for the NRHP; however, a more thorough evaluation is recommended in order to determine eligibility.