Intensive Archaeological Survey of Proposed Improvements to State Road 17 Between Thomson and Elberton; Elbert, Mcduffie and Wilkes Counties, Georgia

In 1996 a comprehensive, Phase I archeological survey of the proposed widening of State Route 17 from Elberton to Thomson was conducted (Pluckhahn 1996). This survey included a nearly 7 km long bypass on new location around the east side of the town of Tignall in Wilkes County. In 2001 the route of the bypass was revised, and the nearly 5 km length of this proposed new corridor was archeologically surveyed in May of 2001. Ten archeological sites, composed of five late nineteenth to early twentieth century house sites, one historic period artifact scatter, three sparse prehistoric lithic scatters and one historic period house site with prehistoric artifacts, were recorded in the project corridor. In addition, the bed of the early twentieth century Elberton and Eastern Railway, abandoned in the 1930s, crosses the proposed bypass twice and was noted. The rail bed is discussed as a historic structure in a separate historic resources survey report. It is therefore our opinion that the proposed bypass of Tignall will not adversely affect significant archeological sites. A second revision in the plans for the highway was the shifting of the proposed right-of-way in the vicinity of site 9WS29, a prehistoric site on the Broad River that had been determined eligible to the National Register during the original 1996 survey. The revised right-of-way corresponds to the existing right-of-way and a fence line. We re-examined the site limits at the revised project boundary and found that the site extends into the existing/proposed right-of-way by about 3 m for a length of about 30 m. Based on these results, project engineers redesigned the construction here to completely avoid site 9WS29. Thus, based on design modifications, site 9WS29 will be avoided during project construction and will be located outside of the proposed project's area of potential effect.