Archeological Survey of the North Americus to Palmyra 230 kV Transmission Line, Sumter and Lee Counties, Georgia

In May of 2006, Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc. conducted an archeological survey of approximately 33.3 mi (53.2 km) of existing transmission line corridor that extends from the northeast edge of Americus in Sumter County to the just west of the small community of Palmyra in extreme southern Lee County, just northwest of Albany. Georgia Transmission Corporation wishes to rebuild this line, mainly by installing new line. Some of the existing poles may need to be replaced. The survey area was 30 m (100 ft) wide, centered on the centerline of the existing line, which is strung on H-style metal poles. For the northern several miles, the line is adjacent to one, two or three other transmission lines. As an existing, maintained transmission line the project corridor had been bush-hogged periodically and ground cover consisted of either shrubby, weedy vegetation in fallow areas, pasture or plowed fields. Surface exposure was generally good to excellent along most of the line, due to extensive agriculture and numerous plowed wildlife food plots in the existing corridor. Because there was so much surface exposure and because the proposed undertaking would involve very little (if any) ground disturbance and only in very limited areas, we decided to conduct a high probability area survey, rather than a comprehensive survey of the entire corridor. Based on our extensive experience in corridor survey in southwest Georgia, and in Sumter and Lee Counties in particular, we delineated 27 high probability areas that total 11.3 km (7.0 mi) that had a moderate to high probability of containing a site. These high probability areas consisted almost totally of elevated areas adjacent to streams (some large, others small) and sink holes. Because this is a crosscountry line, there were very few historic period house sites, which tend to be located along roads. Our survey focused on these predetermined areas of high probability. However, we examined some adjacent areas of low probability (not quantified) in the course of walking to the high probability survey areas. No sites were found in the low probability areas, thus validating the model. While most sites were discovered by surface inspection of plowed fields, some were found by routine shovel testing. This exploratory shovel testing was conducted in one transect along one side or the other of the transmission line, usually on 30-m intervals. Once a site was detected, it was usually investigated with systematic surface collection and a cruciform pattern of shovel tests, at 10 or 20-m intervals (depending on the anticipated size of the site). Because many sites were likely very wide (that is, would extend well beyond the width of the transmission line corridor), we often did not fully determine width of sites. Based on surface inspection and the excavation of shovel tests, we discovered and recorded 19 archeological sites. Because most sites extend well beyond the transmission line corridor and thus could not be thoroughly investigated, the significance of most of the sites (n= 15) in terms of eligibility for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, remained unknown. It is very possible that the reconstruction of the line will have no adverse effects to these sites, since all are surface to subsurface scatters of artifacts on landforms that have been plowed and farmed for years. Georgia Transmission Corporation has in place a Programmatic Agreement with the Georgia SHPO on how to deal with eligible and potentially eligible sites in transmission line corridors. The fact that this line has already been cleared and has no substantial vegetation (trees) to clear, suggests that the proposed undertaking, the reconstruction of the line, would have considerably less impact to sites than would construction of a new line. We saw no serious, ongoing impacts to any the potentially eligible sites, such as erosion from roads or off-road trails. We believe that each of the potentially eligible sites should be examined under the terms of the programmatic agreement to produce a plan for avoiding adverse effects to the sites. A likely scenario would be that if the project requires ground disturbing activity on these sites (such as the erection of new poles) then the affected portions of the sites should be archeologically tested to firmly assess research potential, eligibility status and project effects prior to the construction.