Between November 11 and November 22, 2019, Brockington and Associates, Inc. (Brockington) completed Phase I cultural resources survey for the proposed construction of the Richmond Hill Highschool located approximately 2.3 kilometers (km) southeast of the intersection of Interstate-95 (I-95) and Belfast Keller Road in southeastern Bryan County, Georgia. The investigation consisted of an archaeological and architectural survey of the 178-acre project tract and the surrounding viewshed. This cultural resources investigation was carried out for James W. Buckley & Associates in Swainsboro, Georgia in partial fulfilment of guidelines established for Section 404 of the Clean Water Act permit. Background research conducted on Georgia’s Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources Geographic Information System (GNAHRGIS) revealed no previously recorded cultural resources (i.e., archaeological sites or historic resources) within the project tract. Archaeological field investigations consisted of 30-meter-interval shovel testing and pedestrian survey within our defined Area of Potential Effects (APE) of the project tract. The architectural survey entailed a viewshed analysis of all potentially historic buildings, structures, and landscape features in the vicinity of the proposed project. Our field investigations identified that the majority of the project tract has been severely disturbed by timber harvest and land clearance activities. In addition, much of the project tract is situated in lowlying sandy flats, depressions, and drainages, with predominantly hydric soils. Combined, these conditions are not optimal for past settlements and intact archaeological site locations. Our field investigation identified one isolated find and one archaeological site (9BN1615), both of which are recommended not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). No historic architectural resources were identified within the project tract or its viewshed. Therefore, no additional cultural resources management considerations are warranted for this project, and we recommend cultural resources clearance for the proposed Richmond Hill Highschool project tract.
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