PHASE I ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY FOR THE PROPOSED BRIDGE REPLACEMENT ON THE I-20 FRONTAGE ROAD OVER THE YELLOW RIVER, NEWTON COUNTY, GEORGIA

In January 2018, Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc. (EPEI) conducted a Phase I archaeological survey for the proposed bridge (Structure ID 217-0041-0) replacement at the Interstate-20 (I-20) Frontage Road over the Yellow River in Newton County, Georgia for Heath and Lineback Engineers, Inc. and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) (GDOT P.I. No. 0013602, HP No. 171120-005). The survey sought to identify archaeological sites in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

The proposed project would consist of the replacement of a functionally obsolete two-lane bridge along the I-20 Frontage Road across the Yellow River, approximately 2.6 miles west of Covington, Georgia. The current bridge measures 312 feet by 26 feet, with each lane measuring 11 to 12 feet wide and consisting of 4-foot shoulders. The current right-of-way (ROW) measures 30 feet from the roadside. The proposed replacement would alter the bridge to 330 feet long by 43.25 feet wide with two 8-foot shoulders and 50 feet of proposed ROW on both sides of Frontage Road.

The goal of the survey was to locate, identify, and evaluate archaeological resources within the Area of Potential Effect (APE). As the project design was still under development at the time of survey, the APE for this project was an Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB). This ESB measures approximately 372 meters in length and 140 meters in width, and is designed specifically to encompass all areas of possible/foreseeable ground disturbance as a result of the current project; as such, an expanded survey corridor (ESC) was not required. Phase I survey was completed in accordance with GDOT’s Environmental Procedures Manual (EPM) (2013) and the guidelines set forth by the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists (GCPA) (2014).

Prior to the commencement of fieldwork, a review of the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) and Georgia’s Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources Geographic Information System (GNAHRGIS) database was completed. This search indicates that one previously recorded site (9NE7) is located within a 1-kilometer radius of the survey area. Additionally, the database search revealed only one previous survey had been conducted within the boundaries of the current survey area.

The current survey recorded one historic cemetery with no previous archaeological site form, site 9NE256. This cemetery, also known as Shiloh United Methodist Cemetery, is an active cemetery dating from the mid-nineteenth century that contains 136 historic graves and about 250 total burials. Site 9NE256 was evaluated for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criteria A, B, and C as part of a Historic Resources Survey Report (HRHR) conducted as part of this project; it was recommended as eligible under Criterion C as it appears to retain significance in the areas of architecture and landscape architecture (EPEI 2018). Within the ESB, there are family burial groupings denoted by low, concrete block walls. Within these groupings the burial markers represent twentieth to twenty-first century burials. The above ground features, i.e., headstones, grave markers, family groupings, etc., within the cemetery are not organized in any way to denote historic versus modern usage, the markers themselves are not particularly unique, and the information that the markers provide is also available through historic documents, e.g., census records, directories, deed records, etc. In other words, the above ground features within the cemetery do not contain significant data potential. However, as the below ground features were not evaluated for their data potential or integrity, the site is considered not fully evaluated and its eligibility for the NRHP under Criterion D is unknown. It is recommended that site 9NE256 be avoided and that the site be protected by the establishment of an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) with orange barrier fencing (OBF) installed along the as yet to be defined Area of Potential Effect (APE) to protect the site from any inadvertent impacts from construction efforts. No further archaeological work is recommended at this time, if there are project changes additional work may be required.