Phase I Archaeological Survey of The Proposed Kennesaw Mountain (KEMO) Pedestrian Improvements in Cobb County, Georgia.

Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc. (EPEI) conducted Phase I archaeological survey of the proposed pedestrian improvements consisting of multi-use trails along sections of Whitlock Avenue (SR 120), Cheatham Hill Road, and Burnt Hickory Road through the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (KEMO) for the Cobb County Department of Transportation (CCDOT), the City of Marietta, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), and the National Park Service (NPS) in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). EPEI conducted fieldwork between August 29, 2017 and September 21, 2017, and involved visual inspection, extensive systematic metal detecting, and limited systematic shovel testing. A subsequent November 17, 2017 meeting in the field aided project designers in reducing impacts in sensitive areas. Additional shovel test survey was conducted on January 25, 2018. This management summary contains a preliminary reporting of the archaeological resources encountered during EPEI’s survey of the proposed pedestrian improvements.

The proposed project consists of the construction of new pedestrian improvements that would be comprised of three discontiguous, 8-foot-wide (minimum) to 10-foot-wide (desired) multi-use trails. The pedestrian improvements would be located on Whitlock Avenue (SR 120), Cheatham Hill Road, and Burnt Hickory Road. The total project length would be approximately 3.85 miles (6.2 kilometers), of which approximately 1.69 miles (2.7 kilometers) would be located within KEMO. When the NPS acquired KEMO, it also acquired county and state right-of-way (ROW), where applicable. Therefore, for the purposes of this document the term Useable Roadway Corridor (useable roadway corridor or URC) is used to define the paved driving surface, shoulders, and disturbed slopes (fill slope, fore slope, and cut slope) within the NPS KEMO boundary. On non-NPS land, the existing ROW on Cheatham Hill Road and Burnt Hickory Road varies from approximately 50 feet to approximately 70 feet. Additional ROW for the multi-use trail would vary between 0 and 5 feet.

Over 40 percent of the survey exists within the recorded boundary of 9CO600 – Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Complex, a significant Civil War battlefield comprised of miles of Confederate and Federal earthworks and Civil War artifact scatters. The boundary of 9CO600 corresponds with the NPS KEMO property boundary. EPEI’s Phase I survey resulted in a total of 194 recovered metal detector finds (MDF), the recovery of 110 definitively Civil War artifacts, identification of 5 conclusive battlefield loci (WA-1, CH-1, CH-2, BH-1, and BH-2) and one potential locus (Entorf 1991) pertaining to NRHP-listed site 9CO600 – Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Complex, the revisit of sites 9CO575 – Ballenger House Site, 9CO122 – New Salem Commons, 9CO574 – Cass House Site, NRHP-eligible 9CO569 - New Salem Church recorded in Georgia’s Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources GIS (GNAHRGIS) and the SEAC_KEMO GIS databases, and the confirmation of a “potential site” 9CO775 (‘NPS Triangle Site’) plotted in the SEAC_KEMO GIS database (Hellmann 2001).

EPEI recorded a total of five definite and one potential loci pertaining to NRHP-listed site 9CO600 – Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Complex. The battlefield loci at the eastern and western ends of Whitlock Avenue, Entorf 1991 and WA-1, respectively, were identified previously and subjected to thorough metal detection and excavation (Entorf 1991). EPEI’s investigation of Locus Entorf 1991 did not identify any Civil War artifacts or earthwork features within the APE; the portion of Locus Entorf 1991 within the APE lacks data potential and depositional integrity as a portion of the larger NRHP-listed site 9CO600 under Criterion D while the portion extending outside the APE remains unevaluated under Criteria A-D. Locus WA-1 retains intact earthwork features and deposits within the APE that retain data potential and depositional integrity as a portion of the larger NRHP-listed site 9CO600 under Criteria C and D; Locus WA-1 contains significant data potential and should be avoided by proposed trail construction. At the Cheatham Hill Road section, the small artifact scatter at Locus CH-1 lacks data potential and depositional integrity as a portion of the larger NRHP-listed site 9CO600 under Criterion D. Locus CH-2, however, contains significant earthwork features and yielded a dense, high-resolution assemblage of Civil War artifacts potentially associated with the Battle of Kolb Farm and subsequent engagements at Kennesaw Mountain. The significant features and intact landform portions associated with Locus CH-2 retain data potential and depositional integrity as a portion of the larger NRHP-listed site 9CO600 under Criteria A, C, and D and should be avoided during construction of the proposed trail. At Burnt Hickory Road, Locus BH-1 contains a dense cluster of artillery shell fragments and the potential of a buried or eroded earthwork trace; Locus BH-1 is associated with a significant frontal assault of June 27, 1864 and retains data potential and depositional integrity as a portion of the larger NRHP-listed site 9CO600 under Criteria A and D. Avoidance of Locus BH-1 is recommended. Locus BH-2 represents a long, more diffusely distributed cluster of Civil War artifacts, mainly artillery shell fragments. Locus BH-2 lacks data potential and depositional integrity as a portion of the larger NRHP-listed site 9CO600 under Criterion D. If construction of the proposed trail cannot avoid the significant deposits and features at loci WA-1, CH-2, and BH-1 then additional archaeological work will be required. Portions of loci Entorf 1991, CH-1, and BH-2 extending outside the APE should be avoided as well.

EPEI also revisited five previously recorded sites, 9CO571 – Shiloh Church and School, 9CO575 –Ballenger House Site, 9CO122 – New Salem Commons, 9CO574 – Cass House Site, and 9CO569 - New Salem Church. Investigations at sites 9CO571, 9CO575, 9CO122, and 9CO574 did not identify

any deposits or features that retain integrity convey or potential significance under Criteria A-D of the NRHP within the survey area. Furthermore, these sites have been previously deemed non-contributing properties within 9CO600. Previous eligibility assessments have been unclear or inconsistent and because all four sites extend beyond the APE investigated for the current project, they are recommended as of unknown eligibility for NRHP inclusion. EPEI also confirmed a “potential site,” site 9CO775 (‘NPS Triangle Site’) plotted in the SEAC_KEMO GIS database (Hellmann 2003). This site lacks data potential within the survey area, but could not be fully delineated. Therefore, 9CO775 is recommended of unknown eligibility. Site 9CO569 – New Salem Church and cemetery is mainly located outside the survey area where the stone church foundation retains excellent integrity.

Based on archaeological findings in the APE and historic documentation indicating the significance of the site as a pioneer community cultural nexus and probable Confederate field hospital during the battle of Kennesaw Mountain, the site is eligible for NRHP inclusion under Criteria A and D. Construction of the proposed trail should be confined to the existing useable roadway corridor cut in this area to avoid the New Salem Church site. A summary of site descriptions and evaluations for National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criterion D are provided below.