Intensive Archaeological Testing at The John Houston McIntosh Sugarhouse, Camden County, Georgia

Georgia Power Company proposed construction of a railroad spur to Plant Scherer, a coal-fired power plant near Forsyth, in Monroe County, Georgia. In compliance with federal legislation, a multi-disciplinary study of the proposed project area was undertaken. Southeastern Archeological Services was contracted to conduct an intensive cultural resources survey of the proposed corridor. The survey was conducted in two stages, site discovery and site evaluation. Between June and August 1990, survey crews examined the segment of the proposed Georgia Power Company railroad corridor lying between Plant Scherer and Georgia Highway 87 near Flovilla. This segment is 91.4 m (300 ft) wide and approximately 24.2 km (15.2 mi) long. The survey crew was granted access to 18.1 km (11.3 mi), or 75%, of the total length of the segment, and therefore examined approximately 165 ha (408 ac). Forty-two archeological sites and eight occurrences were discovered by the survey. Twenty-six of the sites have prehistoric components, representing utilization of the project area from Early Archaic through Mississippi Periods. Fourteen of the sites have historic components and stone features are present on seventeen of the sites. Georgia Power Company cancelled the proposed railroad project after the initial survey was completed, but before most of the sites could be evaluated with further testing. Based on the limited data available, four sites are recommended eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Twenty-nine sites are recommended not eligible. Eligibility could not be determined for nine sites that required further testing.