Archaeological Resources Survey, State Route 24/ U.S. Highway 441 Corridor, Morgan and Oconee Counties, Georgia and Phase II Testing at 9MG 438, Morgan County, Georgia

This document presents the results of an intensive archaeological survey of the project corridor for the widening and reconstruction of State Route 24 / US Highway 441 from Madison to Watkinsville, Georgia (Project EDS-441[42] and [43]). The project corridor is approximately 17.4 miles in length and includes approximately 354 acres (159 ha; excluding existing paved and right-of-way areas and areas that could not be surveyed). The corridor area includes approximately 12.7 miles along existing right-of-way (250 feet wide minus 80 foot right-of-way), approximately 3.5 miles of new alignment (250 feet wide), and approximately 1.2 miles of 100 foot wide access roads. The survey was conducted between October 12 and December 4, 1998. Approximately 2.3 miles of discontinuous alternate routes in Morgan County were surveyed in August and July of 1999. Total area for both the original proposed and alternate corridors is approximately 408 acres (163 ha). Approximately 0.72 mile (17.5 acres) could not be surveyed due to landowners' denial of access or other access problems (0.19 mile along existing right-of-way; 0.53 mile along new alignment). These unassessed sections of the corridor remain to be surveyed. These sections in Oconee County are located on Old Farmington Road (T. Michael Underwood), Old Bishop Road (James E. Wilson; Earl B. Johnson, Jr.), and Astondale Road (High Point Equestrian). In Morgan County a 200 foot section on the Youngblood dairy farm was avoided due to a bull, cows and newborn calves. The survey crew was expulsed from a 600 foot section approximately 0.5 mile south of the Apalachee River along the existing highway right-of-way (Roy and Beverly Thrasher, Sr.). An additional 0.63 mile (10.6 acres) was not shovel tested due to prior disturbance by highway (Madison and Watkinsville Bypasses) or other construction (Apalachee Land Development, Inc.; Henry T. and Joe D. Murrow). This survey resulted in the identification or reassessment of 59 archaeological sites and 39 isolated finds. The resource density (approximately 5 resources per mile; 1 resource per 4 acres surveyed) is considered to be extremely high and was much greater than had been estimated. For purposes of this project, archaeological sites were defined as six or more artifacts on the ground surface or in shovel tests within a 50 x 50 meter area, by the presence of a feature, or by the presence of one or more artifacts in a sub-plowzone context. Isolated finds were identified by five or fewer artifacts on the ground surface within a 50 x 50 meter area, or from disturbed subsurface contexts. Eight of the sites, 9MG8, 9MG25, 9MG34, 9MG74, 9MG75, 9MG239, 9OC126, and 9OC203 had been previously recorded. During this initial phase of the project, all sites are assessed as either potentially eligible (PE) or not eligible (NE) to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). These assessments are made in terms of the criteria established by the NRHP (36CFR60.4 a-d) and based on the data acquired during the background research and survey phase of the study. This survey was conducted to identify and evaluate archaeological resources and not historic structures. Standing structures within the corridor that appeared to be 50 years old were photographed and shovel tests were excavated to identify and evaluate archaeological contexts. Sites 9OC264, 9OC272, Isolated Find L065, 9OC289 and 9OC290 are located adjacent to, but outside of, the currently proposed project corridor. With the exceptions of site 9OC272 and Isolated Find L065, these sites remain unassessed in terms of NRHP eligibility potential. No further work is recommended for the remaining three sites if each remains outside of the project alignment. In the event the project alignment changes and these sites are impacted by the proposed undertaking, then testing to assess eligibility potential is recommended. Five cultural resources located within the project corridor, 9OC268, 9OC273, 9OC274, 9OC275, and Isolated Find L098, could not be completely assessed due to denial of access by landowners. Information on sites, isolated finds, identified components, eligibility and recommendations is presented in Table 1. Forty-eight sites and 39 isolated finds (88.8 percent of total) found within the project corridor, as it presently exists, are assessed as not eligible for inclusion in the NRHP. Eleven sites (11.2 percent) within the corridor are assessed as potentially eligible for inclusion on the NRHP. These include sites 9MG8 (Morgan County), 9MG435 (Morgan County), 9OC270 (Oconee County), 9OC274 (Oconee County), 9OC275 (Oconee County), 9OC282 (Oconee County), 9MG442 (Morgan County), 9MG445 (Morgan County), 9OC283 (Oconee County), and 9OC288 (Oconee County), and the historic Radd Cemetery, 9OC291 (Oconee County). If sites recommended as potentially eligible for the NRHP cannot be avoided, further testing is recommended. The recommended elements of this testing are discussed for each site, but would normally include close interval shovel testing, unit excavation, and small scale stripping. This work will help to verify site structure and identify areas with intact features. In addition to the work described above, an intensive archaeological survey of project alternate routes was conducted during July and August of 1999 for the widening and reconstruction of State Route 24/US Highway 441 in Morgan County, Georgia [Project EDS-441(42)]. The project alternate routes are approximately 2.3 miles in total length. Approximately 2,800 feet (0.5 mile) of the alternates had been surveyed during the initial Phase I study. Wetland areas and ponds comprise approximately 0.6 mile (22 percent) of the alternate alignments. Residentially developed areas, primarily yards, comprise 0.8 mile (33 percent), pasture 0.5 mile (21 percent), planted pines 0.1 mile (5 percent) and heavily gullied land 0.3 mile (10 percent) of the alternate routes. No archaeological sites previously recorded at the Georgia Archaeological Site Files are located within the alternate routes. However, five sites and three isolated artifact finds identified during the Phase I survey are located within the alternate routes. Sites and isolated artifact finds assessed as not eligible to the NRHP include Isolated Find L066, 9MG444, Isolated Find L068, and Isolated Find L069. One of the NRHP potentially eligible sites found during the initial survey, 9MG438 is also located within the proposed alternate routes. The alternate alignment places potentially eligible sites 9MG8 and 9MG445 on the edge of the proposed corridor. Site 9MG438 is located at the northern end of an alternate section where it merges with the originally proposed alignment south of Sandy Creek. This small Early Archaic, Middle Archaic, Late Archaic, Middle Woodland, and Late Mississippian site was tested during March of 2000, and 35 shovel tests and 35 one by one meter test units were excavated. Following the testing phase, no additional excavation was recommended for site 9MG438. However, monitoring during construction on the site area is recommended.