Cultural Resources Survey of the “Double_Branches - C” Self-Support Tower Telecommunication Facility, Lincolnton, Lincoln County, Georgia Trileaf # 670123

In August 2020, Trileaf Corporation (Trileaf) performed a cultural resource inventory survey for a proposed self-support communications tower located in Lincoln County, Lincolnton, Georgia (Latitude: 33° 46’ 14.937” N Longitude: 82° 22’ 03.076” W). The project location is located within a clear-cut timber area.

Verizon Wireless proposes the construction of a new self-support cell tower with a total height of 265 feet (80.77 meters). The new tower and associated equipment will be situated within a proposed approximate 100 x 100-foot (10,000-square foot) cell tower lease area. A proposed approximate 30 x 634-foot (9.14 x 193.24 meter) access and utility easement will extend generally west then north away from the lease area towards Double Branches Road. In addition, a 10 x 214- foot (3.05 x 65.23 meter) utility easement will extend generally southeast then northeast from the lease area to Double Branches Road. Total acreage of the new construction area is approximately 0.72 acres (0.29 Hectares).

Project Archaeologist II, 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 or (NRHP)-eligible properties were identified within the project area’s Direct APE. Based on a map and survey form search using the resources of the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office including topographical maps and their GNAHRGIS GIS platform, inspections of the Georgia Archaeological Site Files (GASF 2020), as well as the resources of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) conducted by Colin Bean, Archaeologist II of the Trileaf Corporation, identified no historical resources with no prior determination of NRHP-eligibility located within the ¾-mile visual APE, no archaeological sites, and one (1) archaeological survey (8182) previously identified within Trileaf Corporation’s 1-mile background research radius for archaeology. A total of 10 resources with no prior determination of eligibility (42638, 42370, 72377, 42378, 42379, 42380, 42381, 42450, 42451, and 42452) were located with the ¾-mile Visual APE and were included for inclusivity.

Based on these findings, Trileaf recommends No Historic Properties in the Direct APE and No Historic Properties within the ¾-mile Visual APE. It is therefore recommended that project clearance be granted with no further investigation or evaluation of the project area relative to those resources.