Phase 1 Archaeological Survey for a Proposed Bridge Replacement On Lower Blue Springs Road (CR393) over Barnes Creek

Under contract with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), URS Corporation was tasked to conduct a Phase I Archaeological Survey (Phase I) of a proposed bridge replacement along Lower Blue Springs Road/County Road (CR) 393 at Barnes Creek in Hams County, Georgia. The purpose of the Phase I was to investigate the APE, define the nature of any archaeological resources present, and evaluate the resources under the implementing regulations for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) (36 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 800). The proposed project would construct a new bridge at the same location as the existing bridge. The existing Barnes Creek Bridge is 25.1 feet wide and 80 feet in length within an 80-foot right-of-way. The proposed replacement bridge would be 35.25 feet wide and 90 feet long. The right-of-way would be widened to between 100 and 160 feet for approximately 500 feet on either side of Barnes Creek. An offsite detour would be used during the construction of the proposed bridge. Fieldwork for the Phase I was initiated and completed on October 2, 2002. The Phase I included the excavation of shovel test pits (STPs) along a linear path at 30-meter intervals and a pedestrian survey. Steep areas and highly disturbed areas containing planted pines, push piles, gullies, and deep cuts were limited to pedestrian walkovers. Pedestrian walkovers specifically focused on features identified during two reconnaissance surveys conducted in January and March 2002, including a historic road bed, a historic bridge abutment, a possible man-made lake or pond, and culvert remnants. Subsurface investigations revealed a small lithic scatter to the northeast of the existing bridge, and some historic materials and a few quartz artifacts were identified on the surface around these shovel test locations. The archaeological site has been designated as 9HS332. The lithic scatter occupies an area approximately 60 meters in length and 30 meters in width. The extent of the historic boundaries continues beyond the lithic scatter; however, because historic and prehistoric materials were found within the same contexts, the historic boundaries are included within the lithic scatter area as well. Even though the historic pond or lake is contemporaneous with other aboveground features and artifacts associated with the historic component of the site, it was not included in the boundaries for archaeological site 9HS332 due to its distance from the concentration of features and artifacts, and because it is not considered an integral part of site 9HS332. The site 9HS332 is entirely contained to the north of the existing ROW along CR 393. Additional investigations are not recommended, as it is improbable that significant information about prehistoric tool manufacture could be obtained from subsequent studies due to the non-diagnostic nature of the artifacts and the disturbed depositional context of the site. Further, areas that include the historic pond or lake, old road bed and old bridge abutment are outside of the immediate APE and would not likely be impacted by the proposed bridge replacement. The historic features, while interesting, have been disturbed by pine cultivation and they do not represent unique or rare construction methods or designs, and they are not likely to yield information additional to that already contained in the historic record. Artifacts, the final report, and all documentation associated with the project will be curated at the Antonio J. Waring Archaeological Laboratory at the State University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia.