Phase I Cultural Resources Survey Proposed Emerson Logistics Development Tract Bartow County, Georgia

In April 2021, R. S. Webb & Associates (RSWA) conducted a Phase I cultural resources survey of the proposed Emerson Logistics development tract in Bartow County, Georgia. The proposed project involves construction of a warehouse/distribution facility. The Phase I survey was performed for Corblu Ecology Group. The project area covers 51 hectares (126 acres), 19 hectares (48 acres) of which are located within the Etowah Valley Historic District. Historic District acreage will be surveyed in a manner consistent with Bartow County’s Etowah Valley Historic District Ordinance (EVHDO), while the remaining 32 hectares (78 acres) were surveyed following Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists (GCPA) (2019) guidance.

A Phase I cultural resources survey was necessary for this project due to Clean Water Act permitting, which requires compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Under the NHPA, a cultural resources survey is conducted to determine if archeological resources eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) will be affected by a proposed undertaking. Cultural resources within the project area were assessed for significance using the NRHP eligibility criteria set forth in 36 CFR Part 60.4. Also, this cultural resources study was conducted following U.S. Secretary of the Interior (Federal Register 1983) standards and, as noted above, the GCPA guidelines.

Proposed project-related construction will have 15-m natural buffers along U.S. Highway 41 and SR 293; 60-m natural buffers will be established along Pumpkin vine Creek and along private property to the south southeast. On this basis, the Project Area of Potential Effects (APE) for direct and indirect impacts were set at the project area boundaries.