Archeological Data Recovery at Site 9WN114 Proposed Hard Labor Creek Water Supply Reservoir Site, Walton County, Georgia

R.S. Webb & Associates conducted Phase III data recovery excavations at Site 9WN114 for the proposed Hard Labor Creek Water Supply Reservoir undertaking in Walton County, Georgia, from January 29th to March 30th 2009. This study was conducted for Register-Nelson Environmental Consultants and the Walton County Water & Sewerage Authority to mitigate the effects of the reservoir undertaking on 9WN114, a site determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) criteria by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). The excavations were performed under a Memorandum of Agreement finalized on June 16, 2002, and a research design/work plan approved by the USACE and SHPO. Data recovery field investigations included: 1) the excavation of 67 screened shovel tests; 2) gridding the site into 2.0 by 2.0-meter (m) surface units and collecting the artifacts from each unit; and 3) the excavation of eight, 2.0 by 2.0-m units and two 1.0 by 2.0-m units. All excavated soils were passed through 0.64-cm hardware cloth; retained artifacts were bagged by provenience. No features or other intact sub-plowzone archeological deposits were exposed during data recovery; therefore, no flotation, radiocarbon, or other soil samples were collected. No faunal or floral remains were recovered. Eight of the 67 close-grid shovel tests were positive, and produced 1 1 pieces of quartz debitage; no shovel test produced more than two artifacts. Eight 2.0 by 2.0-m units and two 1.0 by 2.0-m units were excavated at 9WN114, revealing from two to four soil strata. These strata indicated heavily deflated sandy/clay loam regenerative topsoils overlying the subsoil. The ten excavation units produced 130 prehistoric artifacts, of which 86.9 percent were recovered from Levels I and 2. This material is dominated by non-diagnostic lithic reduction debris composed mostly of quartz; cores, biface fragments, fire-cracked rock, steatite bowl fragments, and ceramics were minimally represented. The artifact assemblage recovered from 9WN114 is indicative of short-term prehistoric use during at least four cultural subperiods: Late Paleoindian, Middle Archaic, Late Archaic, and Early/Middle Woodland. Archeologically detectable site activities include lithic reduction, biface manufacture/maintenance, soft media modification, and hunting/processing. Except for the very low frequency of FCR, ceramics, and a single soapstone bowl sherd, there is no evidence of group maintenance activities. The near-absence of group maintenance artifacts indicates that 9WN114 most likely served as a day use location where groups geared-up for hunting, processed faunal materials, and perhaps gathered floral materials. Based on the various diagnostic artifacts recovered, it appears that 9WN114 was most active during the Middle to Late Archaic periods, probably as a series of day-use areas or transient camps. The site may have served as a collection station or small camp during the Woodland period. Late Paleoindian occupation of 9WN114 appears to fall within Anderson et al. 's (1990) "short-term camp" category. The recovery of two fragmentary quartz Dalton PP/Ks, one possible quartz Dalton early stage biface fragment, and a stylized (teardrop) CP chert endscraper, indicate that Dalton points were being maintained and probably manufactured at 9WN 114. The endscraper points to hide processing activities.