Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed Widening of SR 4/US 1 Wadley Bypass to State Route 88 Jefferson County, Georgia

In May and June of 1998, R.S. Webb & Associates conducted a literature review and a cultural resources survey for the proposed widening of SR4/US1 from Wadley Bypass to State Route 88 in Jefferson County, Georgia. The study was conducted on behalf of Law Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc. and the Georgia Department of Transportation. The goal of the survey was to locate and identify archeological resources within the project area, assess resource significance based on National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) criteria [36 CFR Part 60.4(d)], and to provide an evaluation of the effects that the project may have on cultural resources within impact areas. A separate preliminary historic structure assessment was conducted by The Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT). Data from this assessment is on file at the Georgia DOT Office of Environment/Location in Atlanta. The study corridor covers the approximately 34.5 kilometer (km) section of SR4/US 1 from the Wadley Bypass to State Route 88 south of Wrens in Jefferson County, Georgia. A review of the State site files and the NRHP revealed that no previously recorded archeological sites or NRHP-nominated or listed properties are located within the current project area. Eight archeological sites are located within 4 km of the current project area. Eighteen historic archeological sites spanning the late 19th to middle 20th century, 14 isolated finds, one isolated rock pile, one set of abandoned railroad tracks, and one recent cemetery were recorded during the field survey of the study corridor (Table 1). The eighteen sites include historic scatters (n=9), house sites (n=2), a standing structure with an associated historic scatter (n=1), historic scatters and associated razed structures (n=3), chimney falls (n=1), and isolated wells (n=1). No prehistoric sites were located during the current survey. All 18 archeological sites are recommended ineligible for the NRHP. The 14 isolated finds (IF) include 12 historic items and two prehistoric lithic artifacts. The historic IFs consist of ceramics and bottle glass. The prehistoric IFs include one Coastal Plain (CP) chert thinning flake and one CP chert Late Archaic PP/K. The 14 IFs are considered ineligible for the NRHP. One isolated rock pile (IRP-1) was recorded during the current survey on a slope. This rock pile is located in an area (slope) that was formerly the periphery of agricultural fields. The rock pile feature was the result of field clearing, probably conducted from the middle of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. Since further study of this feature is unlikely to yield significant data, IRP-1 is considered ineligible for the NRHP. One set of abandoned railroad tracks was recorded south of Louisville and the Ogeechee River. The railroad, known as the L & W (Louisville and Wadley), is shown on the Louisville South and Wadley 1973 (photorevised 1981) USGS quadrangles as extending from Louisville south, across the Ogeechee River and SR4/US1, through the community of Moxley and into Wadley. This 16-km local railroad was constructed in the late 1870s and was used for passenger and freight service until 1968. The tracks have been removed at the SR4/US 1 and CR248/Mole Road crossings, but are still extant within the proposed right-of-way at these two crossings. Given the historic significance to the local communities, the L & W Railroad is recommended as eligible for the NRHP. One recent (late 20th century) cemetery was noted adjacent to the current project area. This cemetery is located approximately 20 to 30 meters (m) west of the project corridor and will not be impacted by proposed road improvements. No further work is recommended for the 18 archeological sites, the 14 isolated finds, the single rock pile and the recent cemetery. Additional archival research and preparation of a Determination of Eligibility Form is recommended for the L & W railroad.