A Phase I Archaeological Resources Survey of the Proposed Norcross Greenway, Gwinnett County, Georgia

In February of 2020, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) conducted a Phase I archaeological survey of a proposed multi-use trail in Gwinnett County, Georgia. The proposed project is the construction of a multi-use trail adjacent to the roadways from Buford Highway to Beaver Ruin Road along Price Place, Mitchell Road, and Pinnacle Way with connecting trails between those roadways in the City of Norcross in Gwinnett County, Georgia. The proposed project includes upgrades to existing sidewalks, landscaping, crosswalks, and connections to the new Pinnacle Park. The current right-of-way (ROW) for both Mitchell Road and Price Place is 60 feet (ft) (18.28 meters [m]). The current ROW for Pinnacle Way is 75 ft (22.86 m). Proposed ROW is unknown at this time.

The proposed multi-use trail would be a 10-ft (3.04 m) wide concrete path constructed in five interconnected segments. Segment 1 of the multi-use trail would be constructed from Buford Highway to the intersection of Mitchell Road, and connect to Price Place via a new trail segment through Cemetery Field Park on property owned by the City of Norcross. The length of this segment is approximately 2,500 ft (762 m). Segment 2 would be constructed along the northern shoulder of Mitchell Road from Price Place to a point 600 ft (182.88 m) east of the intersection of Station Circle. The segment would pass through several privately owned parcels and a parcel owned by the City of Norcross to a connecting trail around Pinnacle Lake. The length of this segment is approximately 3,000 linear ft (914.4 m). Segment 3 would be constructed as a new location segment from the Mitchell Road point 600 ft (182.88 m) east of its intersection of Station Circle. The segment would run through several privately-owned parcels and a parcel owned by the City of Norcross to a connecting trail around Pinnacle Lake. The length of this segment is approximately 3,000 linear ft (914.4 m). Segment 4 would be constructed along the southern shoulder of Pinnacle Way from Brookhollow Parkway to Beaver Ruin Road, a length of about 3,100 linear ft (944.88 m). Segment 5 would be constructed along the southern shoulder of Price Place from the end of Segment 1 to Beaver Ruin Road. The length of this segment is approximately 2,000 linear ft (609.6 m).

As the project is currently in the concept phase of development, an Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB) was considered in lieu of an Area of Potential Effects (APE). The APE for this survey was defined as the total length and width of the ESB. The project ESB encompasses five segments of the proposed multi-use path. The width of the project ESB varies between 180 ft (55 m) and 282 ft (86 m). The total length of the project ESB is approximately 5 kilometers (km) (16,404 ft). The project ESB encompasses approximately 67.9 acres (ac) (27.48 hectares [ha]) in total area. Shovel testing and visual inspection of the project ESB took place along 18 linear transects spaced no greater than 30 m apart, with shovel tests conducted at 30-m intervals. For revisits to previously recorded archaeological sites within the project ESB, shovel tests were planned at 15-m intervals. During the current investigation, 346 shovel tests were excavated, all of which were negative for cultural material. Fifty planned shovel tests were not excavated due to standing water, residential structures, and paved parking lots, and these shovel tests were recorded as “No Dig.” During the course of the survey, one previously recorded site (9GW165) was revisited within the project ESB. 

Additionally, two adjoining cemeteries, the historic Norcross City Cemetery and the Wright Cemetery, were recorded together as site 9GW690 within the viewshed of the project ESB.

During the current revisit of 9GW165, no evidence of the site was identified through shovel testing and visual inspection. Since 9GW165 was not relocated during the current survey, VHB recommends this site still be considered unknown overall for the NRHP; however, since no artifacts or archaeological features were located, the portion of the site within the project ESB lacks integrity and significant data potential under Criterion D. As unevaluated portions of the site exist beyond the limits of the ESB, the site should be considered an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA). Orange Barrier Fencing (OBF) placement along the edges of the site should protect unevaluated areas during project implementation.

The boundaries of site 9GW690 are located approximately 8 m west of segment 1 of the proposed multi-use trail. The boundaries of site 9GW690 fall outside the limits of the project ESB. The boundaries of the historic Norcross City Cemetery the Wright Cemetery together total 7.29 ac (2.95 ha). During the current survey, the portion of the project ESB that was located within 30 m of the known cemetery boundary was subject to probing at 1-m by 1-m intervals up to 30 m from the known boundary of the cemetery to ensure that no unmarked burials exist within the project ESB. Probing did not identify any unmarked burials within the project ESB. The cemetery was not evaluated for National Register eligibility as it does not fall within the boundaries of the project ESB, and should be considered of unknown eligibility to the NRHP under Criterion D. The cemetery will be further evaluated in a forthcoming Historic Resources Survey Report.