Archaeological Examination of the Trenches at Site 9CO300 Along the Proposed East-West Corridor, Cobb County, Georgia

This report documents the findings of a Phase III archaeological examination of site 9CO300 just off of Cooper Lake Road in Cobb County, Georgia. The research was conducted by Garrow & Associates, Inc. for Cobb County Department of Transportation. This site consists of a scatter of prehistoric lithics and two trenches excavated along the crest of a knoll north of Nickajack Creek. The vicinity was the focus of military activities during the Battle of Ruff's Mill on July 4, 1864. These trenches may be a remnant feature of activities related to that battle. The trenches are in a line, 50 feet apart and each 70 feet long. Each trench was originally excavated through the upper soil strata and into the saprolite. Topsoil and materials removed from the trenches was mounded along the side of each trench. No Civil War period materials were recovered during these investigations. While not absolutely conclusive, there are indications that a Civil War military ascription is a valid one. The Savannah District Army Corps of Engineers has determined that this site is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Given impending adverse impact by construction of the East-West Connector, data recovery was implemented on site 9CO300. During this phase, excavations proceeded within the .trenches to document their condition and form of construction. In addition, fine grained topographic maps were generated to characterize the trench disposition. The result of these investigations is a thorough documentation of the characteristics of the facilities of site 9CO300 and the nature of the deposits. The compilation of this documentation serves to mitigate the adverse impact of road construction over the site. Therefore, no further work is recommended for site 9CO300 and it is suggested that the proposed construction be permitted to proceed.