In January 2022, Terracon Consultants Inc. (Terracon), conducted a cultural resource assessment survey of the approximately 1.5-acre Dawson Medical Center Tract in Terrell County, Georgia (Figure 1.1). The project area is located within the Dawson, GA (2020 Edition) United States Geological Surveys (USGS) quadrangle topographical map. The proposed project is for the construction of a one-story medical center with road turn lane construction on US 82.
The goals of the CRAS were to locate, delineate, identify and evaluate cultural resources within the proposed project area, and to assess their significance and potential eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The term "cultural resources" as used herein is meant to refer to sites or objects that are archaeological, architectural, and/or historical in nature.
All work will comply with the cultural resource provisions of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (PL 89-190, as amended) and its implementing regulation 36 CFR Part 800 (Protection of Historic Properties). The Principal Investigator meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation (36 CFR Part 61).
The proposed Area of Potential Effects (APE) for this project includes the property boundaries as direct effects, and the neighboring parcels for visual (indirect) effects. Prior to fieldwork, a search of the Georgia Archaeological Site Files (GASF) and the Georgia’s Natural and Historic Resources GIS (GNARHGIS) identified one cultural resource within the APE.
Fieldwork associated with the current consisted of a pedestrian inspection coupled with shovel testing. Architectural survey methods consisted of a review of the Terrell County Tax Assessors (TCTA) website, a review of the GASF and GNAHRGIS for any previously recorded resources, and a pedestrian investigation to field verify all architectural resources within the project area. The fieldwork was conducted by archaeologist Joshua Newman under the direction of Brent Handley, who served as Principal Investigator.
During the current study, no archaeological sites, isolated finds, or other subsurface cultural resources were identified from the archaeological study. In addition, four historic structures and one historic cemetery in a NRHP listed district (Dawson Historic District) were encountered outside the project area but within the established APE. These unrecorded structures are recommended ineligible for the NRHP and will not be adversely affected as a result of development.
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