Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed Hagan Creek 115/12 kV Substation, Hall County, Georgia

In February, 2001 Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc., conducted a Phase I archeological survey of a proposed 3.9 ha (9.6 ac) substation tract in northern Hall County, Georgia. Georgia Transmission Company is proposing to construct a 115/12 kV substation on a portion of the tract, with access to come from Cagel Road to the north. The goal of the survey was to locate and evaluate archeological sites and historic resources within the area of potential effect for the proposed project, so that potential effects to those resources could be evaluated in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The area of potential effect. was defined as the entire 3.9 ha tract plus an as yet unspecified access route from Cagle Road. Archival research showed that no historic or archeological resources were located in the project area. This report summarizes the results of an archeological survey of a proposed 3.9 ha (9.6 ac) tract in northern Hall County, where Georgia Transmission Company intends to construct a 115/12 kV substation on a portion of the tract (Figure 1). The tract is wooded and lies between a section of the abandoned Southern Railroad to the north and the active Southern Railroad to the south (Figure 2). The tract will be accessed from Cagle Road to the north, and thus the access road will cross the abandoned railroad bed. The precise location of the access road is not known at this time. The survey was carried out in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended). The act requires that federal agencies (in this case the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) take into account potential adverse effects to significant cultural resources (archeological sites, historic resources, cemeteries) that could result from federally sponsored or licensed undertakings. The goal of the survey was to locate, describe, and evaluate the significance of all archeological sites that may be affected by the project. The archeological fieldwork was conducted on February 1, 2001 by SAS archeologists Ron Schoettmer and Margaret Wyman, under the supervision of the principal investigator.