An Archaeological Resources Survey of the Proposed Rincon Bypass Effingham County, Georgia

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) proposes to improve existing conditions around Rincon, Georgia in Effingham County, by constructing a roadway around the east side of the city from Highway 21 south of Rincon, back to Highway 21 north of Rincon (Figure 1). The improvements would include widening some existing roadways including portions of Old Augusta Road, Fort Howard Road, Rincon-Stillwell Road, and Ebenezer Road, as well as constructing new alignments (Figure 2). Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan, Inc. (PBS&J) was retained by the GDOT to conduct an archaeological resources survey of the project corridor. Daniel Penton was the principal investigator for this assessment. Phil Causey served as the project archaeologist, and was assisted by archaeological field technicians. Field investigations for most of the northern corridor alternatives from Fort Howard Road and Ebenezer Road to Highway 21 were conducted in July 2003. Investigations for the portion of the corridor from Highway 21 along Old Augusta Road to Fort Howard Road and one northern alternative were conducted in July 2005. The area of potential effect (APE) is defined as the region in which the proposed improvement project may affect historic properties. The APE for the assessment of the proposed Rincon Bypass corridor was defined as the area within and immediately adjacent to the proposed right-of-way. The right-of-way through the main corridor is 200 feet in width and the right-of-way for the connector roads is 100 feet in width. The project length is approximately 13 miles with several alternatives. The purpose of this survey was to locate and identify any cultural resources within the area of potential effect (APE), and to assess the significance of these resources according to the criteria provided in the National Register of Historic Places.