Historical Research and Archeological Investigations Atlanta Federal Center Site Atlanta, Georgia

During the period between July 29, 1994 and November 26, 1994 historical research and archeological sampling, monitoring and data recovery were conducted on the site of the Atlanta Federal Center (AFC). This area was formerly occupied by the Rich's Downtown Department Store and parking deck and is bound by Forsyth Street, Alabama Street, Martin Luther King (MLK) Boulevard and Spring Street. The original city grid designated this area as Block 6. Reference materials at the Atlanta History Center and the State Archives were examined to form a profile of the commercial, municipal and residential aspects of the block's history. These data were supplemented by informal interviews with descendants of an early 20th century business owner on the block and previous research conducted by Ehrenhard (1993) and Historic Preservation Planning (1993). Results of the research indicate that the block's early history (1850-1875) was dominated by the residences of middle and upper middle class citizens. Between 1875 and 1920 a series of major businesses including cotton brokerages, stables and an ice house were established along Alabama and Forsyth Streets, while smaller businesses and low income households were present along MLK (Hunter Street) and Spring Street. By the 1920s the block was completely commercial with the exception of the Fire Department located on Alabama Street since 1893. Commercial activity continued to characterize the block, culminating with the construction of the Rich's Home Store in 1947. Analysis of geotechnical data demonstrated that the south portion of Block 6 had been previously excavated to an elevation below the water table for the construction of the Rich's Home Store. Since it was unlikely that archeological deposits were extant in the southern portion, the archeological study focused on the north two-thirds of Block 6 which had not been as deeply excavated. Ten trenches ranging from 10 to 30 feet long by 4 feet wide and between 5 and 14 feet deep were excavated by backhoe and examined for archeological materials and features. Areas between the trenches were mechanically stripped and also examined for cultural materials and features. All areas except Trench 2 produced only modern debris. Feature 1, a dark stain containing hand-made brick, historic ceramics and glass was observed in the west profile of Trench 2. The feature was excavated by hand and determined to be a well with materials dating from the middle 19th century to the early 20th century. During the leveling phase for the construction of the A.C., a large brick and wood-lined cistern was detected. This area had not been investigated during the archeological sampling since it was being used at that time as access to the interior of the A.C. site by the demolition crews. The feature, designated Feature 2, was excavated with a backhoe. Although few artifacts were found, hand-made brick and the exclusive use of square nails indicated a 19th century origin. The feature appears to have been originally constructed for water storage, but may have been used later as a processing vat since it contained creosote and oily sludge. State Site Number 9FU200 was assigned to the area of the two features.