An Archaeological Survey of the South Loop Transmission Line, Bibb County, Georgia

In mid-July of 2008 a Phase I archeological survey was conducted along a 3 .5 mile section of the South Loop transmission line, located just south of Macon in Bibb County, Georgia. This is an existing line that was constructed during the late 1960s. It appears that the only potential environmental impact will be the addition of gravel to the access road, especially at creek crossings within the right-of-way, so that maintenance vehicles can have access to the transmission line. The archeological survey was conducted to ensure that Georgia Transmission Corporation is in compliance with federal regulations concerning the protection of significant archeological resources. It is possible that a 404 permit will be required in connection with transmission line maintenance. No archeological sites were found by the survey. The survey began by conducting a search of the archeological site files and consulting previous reports. There are many significant archeological sites in the Macon area, and excavations at some of these have formed the basis for much of our understanding of the prehistory of central Georgia (Hally 1994). The most extensive archeological work was conducted during the late 1930s under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration (WP A). Two of the WP A sites, the Lamar Mounds and the Swift Creek Site, are within a mile of the transmission line. A third site, Horseshoe Bend, is located directly across the Ocmulgee River from the western terminus of the survey area.