A Phase I Archaeological Survey for the I-285 Westside Express Lanes, Cobb and Fulton Counties, Georgia

TerraXplorations, Inc. (TerraX), of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was contracted by Arcadis U.S. (Arcadis), of Atlanta, Georgia, to conduct a Phase I archaeological survey for the Interstate (I)-285 Westside Express Lanes project in Cobb and Fulton counties, Georgia (PI No. 0013917). This survey was conducted on behalf of Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended [NHPA (16 USC 470 to 470w-6)]. The primary purpose of the Phase I archaeological resources survey was to locate and evaluate the eligibility of any archaeological resources (artifacts or features ≥50 years old) within the survey area for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The Phase I survey was performed between July 1, 2019, and January 15, 2020.

In partnership with the Governor and General Assembly, GDOT has identified an initial 11 Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP) transportation projects. These projects aim to provide additional capacity, improve freight movement, provide operations improvements and efficiencies, enhance safety, and decrease travel times. The proposed I-285 Westside Express Lanes project (PI No. 0013917) represents one of these 11 initial MMIP projects. The I-285 Westside Express Lanes project proposes to construct a single buffer separated express lane (EL) in each direction on I-285 between Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway in Fulton County and Paces Ferry Road in Cobb County. The project area is located along the western portion of the I-285 Atlanta perimeter, roughly between Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway Northwest and Mt. Wilkinson Parkway Southeast. The archaeological survey area for the proposed project corresponds to the total area encompassed by the project’s Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB), which was provided by Arcadis and covers the existing and proposed right-of-way (ROW) for the project. The ESB varies between roughly 501 feet (ft) and 1,425 ft in width and extends approximately 7 miles in length. The total acreage for the survey area is approximately 854 acres.

The Phase I survey included both visual and subsurface examinations of the survey area via systematic shovel testing (including standard [30-meter (m)] and close [15-m] interval spacing), visual inspections, metal detection (both standard and close interval spacing), auger testing, soil probing, and visual ground truthing of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. The Phase I survey led to the identification of two isolated metal finds (MDF-1 and MDF-3), three newly recorded sites (9CO782, 9CO783 [Riverview Memorial Garden and Hooper-McWilliams Cemetery], and 9FU793 [Mayson Methodist Church Cemetery]), and the relocation of three previously recorded sites (9CO254, 9CO686, and 9CO707/9CO708) within the survey area. Though one additional previously recorded site (9CO411) and one NRHP-Listed Historic Resource(No. 80001002 [a property containing Civil War earthworks]), were also revisited within the survey area, no indications of the site or archaeological materials associated with the NRHP resource were detected during the investigation (both resources appear to have been impacted by modern development).

Site 9CO254 is a multicomponent Late Archaic lithic scatter and unknown historic artifact scatter. No indications of the previously recorded precontact portion of 9CO254 were discovered during the survey. The historic artifacts collected from the site reflect broadly diagnostic and likely redeposited material, perhaps originally associated with activities at a nearby historic twentieth century structure. It is also possible that the artifacts recovered from 9CO254 could be related to Civil War activity in the area, although no indications of this are readily apparent. Neither the precontact nor the historic component of 9CO254 located within the ESB are likely to produce significant data and the deposits are considered to lack integrity. Because the site extends beyond the ESB, the overall NRHP eligibility recommendation for 9CO254 remains unknown under Criterion D. TerraX recommends that the unsurveyed portions of site 9CO254 located outside of the ESB be designated as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) and avoided by any ground disturbing activities associated with project construction.

Site 9CO411 represents a previously recorded potential former nineteenth-to-twentieth century cemetery. However, in the numerous deeds regarding portions of Land Lot 818, there is no mention of a cemetery, nor was any sign of the cemetery able to be discerned through shovel testing or field inspections. Any burials that may have once existed within the ESB are considered likely to no longer be present due to the heavily developed and extensively disturbed nature of the location. However, since there are potential burials associated with the site, additional investigations would be required to definitively determine whether any intact burials exist in the ESB. As such, and because the site extends beyond the survey limits, the NRHP eligibility recommendation for 9CO411 remains unknown under Criterion D. Because site 9CO411 may be associated with burials, TerraX recommends that the full 9CO411 site area be designated an ESA and avoided by any project construction activities. Coordination with Arcadis and GDOT Office of Environmental Services has led to the agreement that the site will be fully avoided.

Site 9CO686 is a segment of the Confederate position along the Civil War-era Chattahoochee River Line. Investigations at 9CO686 within the ESB identified a well-preserved Shoupade fort with accompanying segments of associated stockades. Testing at 9CO686 resulted in the collection of several fragments of undifferentiated metal, a fragment of pipe, and a fired Civil War-era bullet. TerraX concurs with previous assessments of 9CO686 as eligible for the NRHP under Criteria A, C, and D at the national level of significance. The portion of 9CO686 within the ESB is considered to retain integrity in location, design, materials, workmanship, and association. TerraX recommends that site 9CO686 be designated as an ESA and avoided by any ground disturbing activities associated with project construction.

Site 9CO707/9CO708 is a previously recorded Civil War-era and general mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth century historic artifact scatter with associated earthwork features. The Civil War-era artifacts and previously recorded trench feature at the site are thought to represent a Union position during an encounter between Federal and Confederate forces associated with skirmishing in the vicinity of the Chattahoochee River Line. TerraX’s survey of the site within the ESB uncovered a sparse collection of general historic-era artifacts, though no artifacts or features diagnostic of the Civil War were discovered. The investigated portion of site 9CO707/9CO708 is considered unlikely to produce further significant information. Additionally, the previously recorded Civil War-era features largely contributing to its NRHP recommendation are no longer apparent, thus impacting the sites ability to convey significance under Criteria A and C. The results of the investigation suggest that the integrity in the surveyed portion of 9CO707/9CO708 with respect to location, design, setting, workmanship, feeling, and association, have largely been compromised. However, as site 9CO707/9CO708 extends beyond the project limits, previously unrecorded significant deposits or features may be present at 9CO707/9CO708 outside of the ESB. As such, TerraX recommends that site 9CO707/9CO708 remains eligible under Criteria A, C, and D at a local level of significance. As an eligible site, TerraX recommends that site 9CO707/9CO708 be designated as an ESA and avoided by any ground disturbing activities associated with project construction.

Site 9CO782 appears to represent the remnants of an old power line and/or farming machinery along with general redeposited historic mid-twentieth century debris. Sparse historic material appears to have been incorporated into construction debris and general modern discard perhaps associated with the razing of nearby houses, the subsequent construction of a nearby apartment complex, and the partial demolition of the railroad in the immediate site vicinity. These materials appear to have been amassed together into a series of large push piles in the 9CO782 area, though the only historic artifacts observed were those located in the northern-most push pile within the current 9CO782 boundaries. The portion of 9CO782 within the ESB is considered unlikely to produce significant information and the deposits lack integrity. Because the site boundary could not be conclusively established beyond the ESB, the overall NRHP eligibility recommendation for 9CO782 is considered unknown under Criterion D. TerraX recommends that any unknown portion of 9CO782 extending outside of the ESB be designated as an ESA and avoided by any ground-disturbing activities associated with project construction.

Due to its proximity to the project ESB, Riverview Memorial Garden and the Hooper-McWilliams Cemetery were recorded as an archaeological site (9CO783) with the modern legal parcel designated as the resource boundary. Archival research and field reconnaissance suggest that burials associated with the cemeteries are confined to the modern parcel boundaries. As the resource is located outside of the project ESB, it was not formally surveyed during the field investigations. The NRHP eligibility of 9CO783 is considered unknown since a formal survey of the site was not conducted. The cemeteries were not assessed in the associated draft Historic Resources Survey Report for the I-285 Westside Express Lanes Project and remain unevaluated for NRHP eligibility under Criteria A–D. In compliance with state cemetery law (OCGA 36-72), TerraX recommends that the resource be designated as an ESA and avoided by any ground-disturbing activities associated with project construction.

Based on the results of this investigation, the Mayson Methodist Church Cemetery (9FU793) represents a mid-nineteenth-to-late-twentieth century graveyard. Archival research and early plat maps indicate that the cemetery was established in the 1860s. An unsystematic survey of the total cemetery property suggests that most of the funerary architecture consists of moderately embellished gravestones and unadorned or blank grave markers, primarily belonging to family plots delineated by grave curbs. Probing of the northwest cemetery boundary identified two probable grave locations on the fringes of the visible extent of the cemetery. Because the site boundaries extend beyond the limits of the survey area, and since the cemetery was not systematically surveyed, the NRHP eligibility recommendation for 9FU793 is considered unknown under Criterion D. The cemetery was not assessed in the associated draft Historic Resources Survey Report for the I-285 Westside Express Lanes Project and remains unevaluated for NRHP eligibility under Criteria A–C. In compliance with state cemetery law (OCGA 36-72), TerraX recommends that the cemetery be designated as an ESA and avoided by any ground-disturbing activities associated with project construction. TerraX recommends that the ESA boundary correspond to the 9FU793 archaeological site boundary except for the portion extending into Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway Northwest and associated sidewalk. All burials, as well as the cemetery retaining wall, would therefore be included within the ESA boundary. The resulting NRHP and ESA recommendations for the project are summarized in Table I. Any proposed project impacts to the NRHP eligible sites 9CO686 and 9CO707/9CO708 will be evaluated in a subsequent Assessment of Effects (AOE) document.