PHASE I ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY AND PHASE II TESTING OF 9DU380 FOR THE SR 133 AND LOVERS LANE ROAD INTERSECTION, DOUGHERTY COUNTY, GEORGIA

In January 2019, Edwards-Pitman (EP) conducted a Phase I archaeological survey in advance of proposed intersection improvements at State Route (SR) 133 and Lovers Lane Road in Dougherty County, Georgia. The archaeological survey sought to identify archaeological sites in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and was completed in accordance with Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT’s) Environmental Procedures Manual (EPM) (GDOT 2013) and the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists’ (GCPA) guidelines for archaeological investigation (GCPA 2019). This survey resulted in the identification of one site, 9DU380, for which additional testing was recommended for the precontact occupation of the site to establish the site’s eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criterion D. In February, March, and April 2020, EP conducted Phase II testing of 9DU380 to gather additional data for an NRHP eligibility determination. This report details the results of both EP’s Phase I archaeological survey, as well as the Phase II testing investigation at 9DU380.

The project is designated as P.I. No. 0015475 and is located just north of the city limits of Albany, Georgia. The project is proposed to improve queuing and delays on the Lovers Lane Road approach at SR 133. Existing right-of-way (ROW) along SR 133 is 80 feet (ft) (24.4 meters [m]) and 70 ft (21.3 m) along Lovers Lane Road. Proposed ROW would range from 80 to 100 ft (24.4 to 30.5 m) along SR 133 and 70 to 110 ft (21.3 to 33.5 m) along Lovers Lane Road. An Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB), or survey area, was designed specifically to encompass all areas of foreseeable disturbance as a result of the project. The ESB totals 9 acres (ac) (3.6 hectares [ha]) and measures approximately 885.8 ft (270 m) long and 328 ft (100 m) wide on SR 133 and approximately 169.9 ft (60 m) long and 442.9 ft (135 m) wide on Lovers Lane Road.

The field survey included visual inspection and systematic shovel testing of the ESB, resulting as noted in the recording of one site which was proposed for Phase II testing. Prior to the Phase II investigation, EP completed a Phase II testing plan, which proposed methods including ground penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetometer survey, additional shovel testing, test units, laboratory analysis, reporting, and curation. During fieldwork, this proposed testing was revised due to landowner property concerns for one area of the site. Instead of 7.5 m (24.6 ft) close-interval shovel testing within the wooded area west of SR 133, a 15 m (49.2 ft) interval grid was executed there to aid in planning test units near the SR 133 and Lovers Lane intersection.

The Phase I and II resulted in the recovery of 3,484 artifacts, including 3,159 precontact and 325 historic, from across the extent of the 3.2 ha (8 ac) site. GPR and magnetometer survey were conducted within 6 grids in various locations across the site. Additional shovel testing included a 15 m (49.2 ft) interval grid, as well as close-interval shovel tests at 7.5 m (24.6 ft) intervals in select locations. EP established and excavated eight 1-x-2 m (3.3-x-6.6 ft) test units based on the geophysical survey results and shovel testing data. Prior to backfilling in the completed test units, the geomorphological study was performed. These investigations determined that the historic nineteenth to twentieth century occupation lacked integrity, while the precontact occupation(s) retained intact deposits below the plow zones.

For the historic component, five activity areas were noted, these being likely related to former farmsteads, social clubs, residences, and/or dumping/discard in the area. A former Dixie Highway remnant was identified and evaluated to lack its original design elements of engineering features as well as contain modern intrusions associated with SR 133 maintenance. These historic occupations within 9DU380 lack significant data potential under Criterion D of the NRHP. For the precontact component, Locus 1, located on a Holocene landform, and Locus 2, located on a Pleistocene landform, range in dates from the Paleoindian to Archaic periods. Locus 1 and the northwestern portion of Locus 2 were determined to retain integrity due to preserved soils and deeply buried cultural deposits down to 120 cmbs (47.2 inbs). Other areas, such as the northeastern portion of Locus 2 and Locus 3 within the northwestern portion of the site, have the potential to retain similar deposits, but investigations within these areas were limited. Recovered artifacts indicate that tool manufacturing and maintenance and lithic processing along with habitation activities such as woodworking, hide preparation, meat processing, and cooking occurred, which suggests that 9DU380 functioned as a precontact workshop and a potential base camp. Temporally diagnostic artifacts were rare and represented by a likely Hernando projectile point/ knife (PP/K) and a PP/K with a broken base potentially dating to the Late Archaic (based on size only). No ceramics were encountered throughout the Phase I and Phase II investigations. The precontact artifact assemblage is characteristically similar to the Paleoindian and Archaic assemblages that occurred during the later Pleistocene and early Holocene epochs. Later occupations are present, as indicated by the Hernando PP/K, but activities associated with these occupations are not as well-known as those associated with the earlier occupations based on current findings.

The site has the potential to provide significant insight into tool production and maintenance, and habitation of Paleoindian and Archaic occupations within the Dougherty Plain. The significant portions of the site retain integrity of location, design, materials, and association, important considerations under Criterion D, while the unknown portions of the site were determined to potentially retain integrity. Therefore, EP recommends 9DU380 eligible for listing on the NRHP under Criterion D. Since portions of 9DU380 have been determined to retain integrity and significance, avoidance and minimization of these significant deposits should occur. The information in this report will be utilized by project planners to develop a design that minimizes potential impacts to 9DU380. Once project design progresses to the point where an APE is established, potential effects to the NRHP eligible site 9DU380 will be more thoroughly examined. If the site cannot be completely avoided, it will be necessary to address proposed project effects in a forthcoming Assessment of Effects (AOE) document.