Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed State Route 90 and Lower Rebecca Road Roundabout Project, Ben Hill County, Georgia; GDOT PI No.: 0013685; HP # 191003-001

AECOM Technical Services, Inc. (AECOM) conducted fieldwork in June 2019 for the Phase I archaeological survey of the proposed State Route (SR) 90 at County Road (CR) 250/Lower Rebecca Road Roundabout in Ben Hill County, Georgia. AECOM was contracted by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to locate and evaluate archaeological resources within the Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB) provided to AECOM by the project design team. The ESB for AECOM's archaeological survey included the project limits and the anticipated required right-of-way (ROW) and was designed specifically to encompass all areas of possible/foreseeable ground disturbance as a result of the current project. As part of this investigation, archaeological resources within the ESB were examined and assessed for their eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This investigation was conducted in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended; the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974; and Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Parts 60-66 and 800, as appropriate. Further, the investigation complied with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and was conducted in accordance with the Environmental Procedures Manual (EPM) (GDOT 2013). Additionally, the guidelines set forth by the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists' (GCPA) Guidelines for Archaeological Investigation (GCPA 2019) were followed. All work was conducted by personnel qualified under the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualifications Standards (36 CFR 61-Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation).

The Phase I archaeological survey for the proposed SR 90 and Lower Rebecca Road roundabout in Ben Hill County resulted in the identification of one new archaeological site (9BH35) and one isolated find (IF). IF 1 consists of a single piece of colorless container glass that may be associated with the nearby historic Lynwood School. Site 9BH35 is an early to middle twentieth-century house rum, with an in situ foundation and chimney. The site has poor integrity, likely related to the structure demolition, and is judged to lack local and regional historic significance.