Intensive Archaeological Field Survey of the Dix Branch Bridge Replacement, Brantley County, Georgia

A two-person crew of New South Associates, Inc. conducted a survey of the Dix Branch Bridge replacement on June 6, 2002. The bridge is located on SR 15 (Figure 1), within the city limits of Hoboken, in western Brantley County, Georgia. The survey involved surface inspections and shovel test excavations of both sides of the bridge, with the intent of locating archaeological artifacts and features. The proposed alignment for the bridge replacement follows that of the existing bridge but is slightly wider. According to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) plans the proposed bridge replacement and improvements are contained entirely within existing right-of-way. Although the likelihood of finding intact archaeological deposits in disturbed right-of-way is slight, the archaeological survey crew covered the area completely. In addition to the actual footprint of the project, shovel tests were excavated in intact soils as much as 60 meters (200 feet) outside the existing right-of-way to confirm the absence of archaeological deposit in the area. No new or previously recorded archaeological sites were found and no further work within the proposed right-of-way for the bridge replacement is recommended. The report is divided into four sections including this introduction. Section II discusses the environmental and archaeological setting of the project area, Section III describes the survey methodology, and Section IV presents the project results and discusses recommendations. The resume of the principal investigator is included as Appendix A