Cultural Resources Survey and Assessment, Live Oaks Power Plant, Glynn County, Georgia

The Live Oaks Company, LLC proposes to construct a power plant on acreage near the community of Sterling in Glynn County, Georgia (Figure I). A cultural resources survey was required under the Section 106 permitting process for the project. The project environmental consultant, Golder Associates, contracted with SouthArc, Inc. to complete the required studies. A preliminary reconnaissance survey was conducted in October, 2001 by Martin F. Dickinson, RPA, President of SouthArc (SouthArc 200 I). This was followed by an archaeological survey and historic structure survey in March and April, 2002. Mr. Dickinson served as Principal Investigator for the archaeological studies and Lucy B. Wayne, Ph.D., RPA, Vice President of SouthArc, was responsible for the historic structure survey and project documentation. Based on the preliminary reconnaissance survey it appeared that the project tract had a limited potential for archaeological resources. The relatively poor drainage characteristics, dominance of flat wood environments and lack of a major water source indicated that it would not have been a preferred location for prehistoric Native American habitation, although it may have been exploited as a hunting area. Historic research indicated that there had been several small homes on or adjacent to the property in the early 20th century. Otherwise there was no evidence of historic activity. As a result of these factors, the areas in proximity to the historic home sites and the better drained portions of the site were considered to have the best potential for archaeological resources. Subsurface testing was conducted at 30 and 60 meter intervals within the tract, depending upon the resource potential; some areas could not be tested due to the presence of standing water. One panel bottle and one piece of whiteware were recovered near the former home sites; no other archaeological material was located within the project tract and no sites were defined. The historic structure survey was conducted within a one-mile radius of the projected stack locations of the proposed power plant. The survey consisted of a windshield survey along all accessible roads and a search of the Glynn County Property Appraiser's records for date information on the potential structures within the circle. Twenty historic structures had been previously identified within this circle during Glynn County surveys completed in 1974 and 1995 (Martin 1974; Ciucevich 1996). One of these structures, Glynn Academy (9GN47), has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. Three others were identified as potentially significant (9GN36, 9GN40 and 9GN44). Two older churches are also located within the circle, Salem St. John Baptist Church (9GN33) and Haven Chapel. The core of the present Salem church building is reported to date to the 1920s (Ciucevich 1996) while the associated cemetery dates to the late 19th century. SouthArc's survey identified an additional eight structures within the circle as being over 50 years in age. The majority of the historic structures identified in the study area are small frame vernacular residences dating to the early 20th century. Most have some alterations; in some cases, these are extensive. In our opinion, Glynn Academy is the only structure within the study area which is significant. Although churches and cemeteries are generally specifically excluded from the National Register, secondary impacts to Salem St. John Baptist Church and its cemetery should be avoided. In the opinion of the project archaeologists and historian, the proposed Live Oaks Power Plant will not impact any significant archaeological or historical resources. We recommend that development be allowed to proceed without further cultural resources studies.