Phase I/II Archaeological Resources Survey of State Route (SR) 186/High Shoals Road Bridge Replacement Over the Apalachee River, Morgan, Oconee, and Walton Counties, Georgia.

In June and July of 2018 and June 2020, VHB completed a Phase I/II archaeological resources evaluation and testing of the State Route (SR) 186/High Shoals Road bridge replacement over the Apalachee River in Morgan, Oconee, and Walton Counties. The existing bridge (Structure ID 297-0031-0) was built in 1958 and consists of 13 spans of Reinforced Concrete Deck Girders on concrete caps with concrete columns. The bridge was designed using an H-15 vehicle, which is below current design standards, and the overall condition of the bridge is classified as poor. As a result, the bridge has been recommended for replacement.

As the project was in the concept design phase at the time of the initial survey, an Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB) was considered as the survey area. The project ESB measures 2060 feet (ft) (628 meters [m]) in length and 328 ft (100 m) width which encompasses a total area of 14 acres (5.6 hectares). The project ESB also extends along Jefferson Road approximately 312 ft (95 m) northwest of its intersection with SR 186/High Shoals Road. The width of the project ESB varies from 250 ft (76 m) to 328 ft (100 m) along SR 186/High Shoals Road and 282 ft (86 m) along Jefferson Road. The project ESB was developed by the design team to be of sufficient length and width to encompass all future alternatives; therefore, an Expanded Survey Corridor (ESC) was not required for this survey.

Prior to the start of fieldwork, a review of Georgia’s Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources Geographic Information System (GNAHRGIS) and the Georgia Archaeological Site Files (GASF) databases was completed. This review identified one previously recorded site. Site 9WN165 is a late nineteenth to early twentieth century house site that extends into the project ESB near the southwest terminus of the project ESB and was recommended unknown under Criterion D eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) (Parrish-Jordan 2017). No additional previously recorded archaeological sites are located within one kilometer (km) of the project ESB. One previously conducted survey extends into the project ESB near the southwest terminus (Webb and Bowen 2017). The project ESB is located within the NRHP-listed High Shoals Historic District. The District is eligible under Criterion C in the area of architecture as the architectural styles and building types are representative of buildings built in agricultural and mill communities throughout Georgia during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The District has not been previously evaluated under Criterion D.

Phase I fieldwork consisted of pedestrian systematic 30-m transect and shovel testing survey of the project ESB. Transects were oriented following the existing SR 186 and Jefferson Road alignments. A total of 101 shovel tests were excavated within the project ESB. Three shovel tests were not able to be excavated due to the presence of a building, historic mill flume, and steep slope. As a result of the Phase I survey, 9WN165 was revisited within the project ESB and one new site, 9WN169, was identified.

During the revisit to 9WN165, a total of 16 shovel tests were excavated utilizing a 15 m grid oriented along the survey transects. A total of five shovel tests were positive for cultural material, and the site boundary has been expanded by approximately 25 m to the northeast. One surface feature (depression) was identified and 13 artifacts were recovered during the revisit. The site is the remains of a late nineteenth to early twentieth century domestic occupation. Based on the results of the revisit, the site lacks integrity and significant data potential within the limits of the project ESB. Since the site could not be fully delineated to the west, the site should maintain its previous recommendation of unknown eligibility for listing on the NRHP under Criterion D. As additional portions of the site may exist beyond the limits of the project ESB, the uninvestigated areas of the site should be considered an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA). Placement of Orange Barrier Fencing (OBF) will protect the unknown areas of the site during project implementation. OBF placement will be determined at a later date when design work has sufficiently progressed.

Site 9WN169 is the remains of an industrial textile facility, High Shoals Mill, dating to the late nineteenth century. Site 9WN169 is an irregularly shaped site measuring approximately 170 m SW-NE by 102 m NW-SE. Phase I survey in June of 2018 identified the remains of the mill complex within the ESB and found 11 cultural features as well as intact subsurface deposits that were recommended eligible under Criteria A and D pending additional testing. Based on the results of the Phase I archaeological investigation, the potential existed for further investigations to yield important information related to textile mill operations from Georgia’s Antebellum period through the Progressive Era. Phase II testing at the site was conducted in May and June of 2020, during which numerous surface features and subsurface deposits were evaluated through a combination of Test Unit excavations, metal detection, and close interval shovel testing. In total, Phase II testing at 9WN169 resulted in the excavation of 109 close interval shovel tests, 5 test units, and numerous metal detector hits being investigated. Portions of site 9WN169 within the project ESB retain good integrity of design, association, and materials. Based on the results of the current Phase I and Phase II survey, 9WN169 is recommended eligible for the NRHP under Criterion A and Criterion D. Avoidance is recommended for the site and its contributing features, and areas with significant data potential. If the site cannot be avoided, then mitigation may be necessary.

In addition, the site is recommended to be considered an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA). As the site could not be fully delineated to the southeast and northwest due to the limits of the survey area, the unevaluated portion of the site outside the project ESB should also be considered an ESA.