Addendum Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed Clark Avenue Extension from SR 91/Jefferson Street to SR 3/Liberty Expressway and Phase II Evaluative Testing for Sites 9DU149 and 9DU189, Dougherty County, Georgia

During March and April 2011, Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc. (EPEI) completed the addendum Phase I archaeological survey for the proposed Clark Avenue Extension from State Route (SR) 91/Jefferson Street to SR 3/Liberty Expressway in Dougherty County, Georgia (Project No. STP00-0134-00(006); P.I. No. 450540). The survey was conducted in response to minor changes to the proposed project alignment and limits that have taken place since the acceptance of the original Phase I survey report. The survey extended through urban areas along Society Avenue west of the Flint River and along Clark Avenue to the Liberty Expressway in the east. Sections of undeveloped wooded locations were surveyed in the central portion of the proposed project on either side of the Flint River. Additionally, as this undertaking represents a new contract with Atkins, a 100-foot expanded survey corridor (ESC) was surveyed beyond all areas of potential effect (APE) per current Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) guidelines. During the addendum survey, 15 previously unidentified archaeological sites were recorded and 3 previously recorded sites, 9DU119, 9DU149, and 9DU189, were revisited. Following the survey investigations, 9DU149 and 9DU189 were recommended potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criterion D. Following consultation with GDOT, EPEI completed Phase II investigations at these sites in May and June 2011.

Background research at the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) in Athens, Georgia indicated that three previously recorded sites, 9DU119, 9DU149, and 9DU189, are located in the APE of the current project (Table). Sites 9DU119 and 9DU149 were recorded prior to the original Phase I survey and 9DU189 was recorded as a result of EPEI’s 2008 survey. One additional site, 9DU188, was identified during the 2008 survey but it is located outside the APE as currently designed. Further, the portion of 9DU188 recorded during the original survey was determined to not contribute to the site’s overall NRHP eligibility. Investigation of the ESC south of this site indicated the area has undergone significant recent disturbance. Based on the previous investigation, which recommended 9DU149 and 9DU189 potentially eligible for the NRHP, and the current study, these sites were recommended for Phase II testing. Due to the level of disturbance observed at 9DU119 it is unlikely that further investigation of the examined portions of the site would result in the recovery of significant archaeological data. For this reason, EPEI concurs with the original recommendation that the investigated portions of the site are considered non-contributing to its overall NRHP eligibility and no further work is recommended in the APE. Because portions of the site are located beyond the boundaries of the current survey area and cannot be evaluated, the eligibility recommendation for 9DU119 is unknown.

Additional Phase I survey for the proposed Clark Avenue Extension project resulted in the identification of 15 previously unrecorded sites. Of these sites, only 9DU63, an unclassified pre-contact Addendum Phase I of the Proposed Clark Avenue Extension and II Phase II for Sites 9DU149 and 9DU189, Dougherty County, Georgia lithic scatter, is located in the current APE. No further investigation within the APE is recommended for 9DU63 due to the relatively low density and diversity of artifacts. However, the site may extend beyond the project boundaries to the north and south, and thus should be considered as having unknown NRHP eligibility. The remaining previously unrecorded sites, 9DU199-9DU212, were identified in the ESC and will not be directly impacted by the current project. However, should project plans change and the project limits be redesigned to include areas outside the APE, the question of site eligibility should be clarified and the NRHP status of 9DU199-200, 9DU205, and 9DU212 established through additional archaeological work. Specifically, further investigations at 9DU199-200 and 9DU205 may illuminate significant research issues concerning the development of Society Avenue between 1885 and 1920 as all three sites yielded material from possible midden deposits with known structural associations. Site 9DU212 has the potential to yield significant information concerning the development of Clark Avenue in east Albany during the early 1900s.

Based on the current undertaking, the overall NRHP eligibility of these sites is recommended as unknown; however, as additional investigations may yield significant information concerning the historic or pre-contact occupations of the area, they should be considered potentially eligible for listing under Criterion D until their status has been clarified through archaeological testing. The remaining ten sites, 9DU201-204, 9DU207-211, are recommended as of unknown NRHP eligibility; however, the investigated portion of these sites do not contribute to their overall eligibility.

Following consultation with GDOT, and the preparation of a testing plan including the completion of a geomorphological investigation and test unit excavation, Phase II archaeological testing was undertaken at 9DU149 and 9DU189. Based on the information recovered from the original survey and the current undertaking, 9DU149 is an expansive high density prehistoric quarry and lithic reduction workshop, with a very small historic component. Geomorphological testing and test unit excavation indicated that the site retains both vertical and horizontal integrity, with a high likelihood of yielding additional information significant to the Flint River valley prior to European contact. Specifically, the upland portion of the site in the vicinity of Test Unit 1 and Geomorphological Trench 1, where a pre-contact pit feature was identified, retains deposits that contribute to the eligibility of the site. Outside this portion of the site, significant concentrations of lithic debitage were encountered; however, it does not appear that additional investigations would yield additional significant information. It is recommended that the data potential for the portion of 9DU149 outside the upland area described above has been met, and that no further work is recommended in this section of the site. It is recommended that the site is eligible for listing on the NRHP and the investigated portion of the upland area contributes to its overall eligibility. Should the current project proceed as planned, mitigation of adverse effects is recommended in this area prior to construction. Addendum Phase I of the Proposed Clark Avenue Extension and Phase II for Sites 9DU149 and 9DU189, Dougherty County, Georgia III.

Based on the information recovered from the original survey and the current undertaking, 9DU189 represents the remains of an early twentieth century house site and upland lithic scatter. Investigations in a recently added section of APE revealed a dense concentration of lithic material, which was recommended as a potentially contributing element to the NRHP eligibility of 9DU189. Phase II investigations, including inspection of test unit stratigraphy by the project geomorphologist, revealed no intact historic or pre-contact deposits. Based on the results of Phase I and II investigations, EPEI recommends that the portions of 9DU189 in the APE do not contribute to the overall eligibility of the site. However, as the full extent of the site has not been evaluated, its overall NRHP eligibility must remain unknown.

Clearance for construction within the investigated APE is recommended for all portions of the project outside the upland section of 9DU149. If redesign of the project corridor occurs, additional archaeological investigation may be necessary.