Archeological Survey of the Proposed Bridge Replacements at SR 116 Over Palmetto Creek and Little Palmetto Creek, Harris County, Georgia

The survey described here was designed to locate and evaluate archeological sites in the area of a Harris County bridge replacement project proposed by the Georgia Department of Transportation. The project proposes the replacement of the SR 116 crossings over Palmetto Creek (and a minor tributary of it) and Little Palmetto Creek. Archival research showed no known sites in the project areas, but many potentially eligible sites have been recorded very nearby in the floodplain of the two creeks. Our archeological survey located nine archeological sites that are wholly or partially in the proposed projects' areas of potential effect (APE). In spite of the apparent similarities of the two nearby project areas, the sites encountered were quite different, with only historic period sites (some with minor prehistoric components) at Little Palmetto Creek and only prehistoric sites at Palmetto Creek. None of the prehistoric sites contained clearly diagnostic artifacts, but three (9HS327, 9HS328 and 9HS329) yielded small amounts of pottery of the Woodland or Mississippian periods. As shown in Table 1, we recommend that all four of the predominantly historic period sites at Little Palmetto Creek are of unknown eligibility status because we could not adequately delineate them. However, we conclude that the portions of all four of these sites within the APE do not contribute to their eligibility, and thus the proposed project would not have an adverse effect to the sites. Also shown in Table 1 is our recommendation that four of the sites at Palmetto Creek are potentially eligible to the National Register (and hence of unknown eligibility) and the fifth is not eligible. The portions of the four potentially eligible sites that lie within the APE could contribute the each site's eligibility, and thus each of these sites could be adversely affected by project implementation. We recommend that these sites either be avoided by redesign or archeologically tested to firmly determine eligibility status. Thus, we recommend clearance for the Little Palmetto Creek project, but further work or redesign for the Palmetto Creek project area.