Archeological Survey of Proposed Widening of U.S. Highway 1 from the Altamaha River, Appling County, to Lyons, Toombs County, Georgia

Southeastern Archeological Services conducted an intensive archeological survey of the proposed widening of U.S. Highway 1 from a point 0.7 km (0.4 mi) south of the Altamaha River, in Appling County, to the northern city limits of Lyons, in Toombs County, a distance of 35 km (21.73 ml). Most of the survey was conducted from February 5-8, 1996, with follow up work conducted during the last week of February. For most of the project existing two-lane highway will be converted to four lane, divided highway, requiring an additional 23 m (75 It) of new right-of-way on one side of the existing highway. In suburban areas north and south of Lyons, the expanded right-of-way will be less, requiring about 12 m (40 ft) of new right-of-way. In downtown Lyons, the project will utilize existing streets to form a one-way pair alignment. For this project a site was defined as a location of past human activity that exhibits artifactual evidence of that activity in a meaningful context. More specifically, in regard to discovering sites through detection of artifacts, a site was defined as a location where three artifacts of one cultural period were found in a shovel test, or at least one artifact was found in two or more shovel tests, or at least five artifacts were found on the surface. In regard to historic period sites, if a structure is or was at least 50 years old, is or was located within 15 m of the proposed expanded right-of-way, has not been moved, exhibits evidence of its existence, and has not been obliterated by modern development, then it was treated as an archeological site. In practice, sites that consisted of standing, maintained, landscaped, occupied houses were not field investigated. Because of the special concern with potential effects of highway widening on cemeteries, cemeteries within 15 m of the proposed right-of-way on either side of the existing road were recorded as sites. The survey discovered 11 sites, all of which date to the historic period (Table 1). One (9TS15) is an early nineteenth century house site associated with the extinct community of Perrys Mills. The site has been heavily disturbed by a later cotton gin, plowing and tree planting. Seven sites are the archeological remains of late nineteenth to early twentieth century houses or farmsteads and one is the disturbed remains of a probable early twentieth century store. Two sites are small cemeteries. Both are located on the side of the road not to be widened, and both are just beyond the existing right-of-way. It is our recommendation that none of these sites are eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places for archeological reasons (criterion d). None of the sites are likely to yield non-redundant, non-trivial information about the history of the area. The structures at all but one of the sites are clearly depicted in aerial photographs, and information on many is probably readily available from current or former occupants and neighbors. The one older site, 9TS15, is too badly disturbed to yield information beyond which has already been gathered by this survey. The two cemeteries are small and lack architectural elements. Although extensive research has not been conducted, they do not appear to be associated with famous persons or events. Neither will be affected by the proposed widening.