Intensive Cultural Resources Survey of 3225 Acres (Mead Coated Board, Inc.) in Chattahoochee County and 484 acres (Fort Benning) In Muscogee County, and Evaluation of 11 Sites at Fort Benning Military Reservation, Georgia

The Consolidated Government of Columbus/Muscogee County, Georgia has contracted with Maguire Associates, Inc. and Brockington and Associates, Inc. to conduct cultural resources investigations in two parcels in Muscogee and Chattahoochee Counties, Georgia. These parcels are proposed as the instruments of a land exchange between the Consolidated Government of Columbus/Muscogee County and Fort Benning. Delineation and assessment of cultural resources on federal lands is required by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, Executive Order 11593 (Protection and Enhancement of the Cultural Environment), and the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974. The following Research Design provides a cultural context for the project parcels, delineates key research themes, and describes proposed investigation methods. The project parcels are located near Columbus, Georgia, in Muscogee (Parcel 1) and Chattahoochee (Parcel 2) Counties (Figure 1). Parcel 1 consists of approximately 3125 acres (in three Compartments, N-1, N-2, and M-7) located in the northwest corner of the Fort Benning Military Reservation (Figure 2). The northern portion of Parcel 1 (Compartments N-1 and N-2) is drained by Bull Creek; a small portion to the south (Compartment M-7) drains southward to Upatoi Creek. Compartments N-1 and N-2, comprising 2641 acres, have been intensively surveyed for cultural resources (Benson and Gresham 1993). A number of sites had been recorded in these areas prior to this systematic effort (Chase 1959; Schnell 1980). Of the 88 sites recorded in these compartments, 1 site was recommended eligible the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and 10 sites were recommended potentially eligible. Further investigation at these 11 sites was advised for definitive eligibility recommendations (Benson and Gresham 1993). Compartment M-7 (484 acres) has not undergone cultural resources survey. Parcel 2, encompassing approximately 3225 acres, is located adjacent to (outside) the southern boundary of the Fort Benning Military Reservation (Figure 3). This parcel is currently owned by Mead Coated Board Inc., and is drained by two tributaries of Hichitee Creek: Sand Branch and Cany Creek. Background and limited reconnaissance has been conducted in Parcel 2 (Benson and Rogers 1992). Prior to this work, several archaeological sites had been recorded within or near this parcel (Georgia Archaeological Site Files); however, no systematic cultural resources survey has been previously conducted here. This Research Design focuses on proposed testing of 11 sites in Parcel 1, and survey of Compartment M-7 and Parcel 2. Section 2 provides overviews of the prehistory and history of the Fort Benning study area. Section 3 reviews previous cultural resources research, concentrating on previously recorded sites in Parcel 1. Section 4 draws on the previous research and cultural contexts to offer a series of research areas to be addressed by the survey. Section 5 reviews the project field and analytical methods. The project team is presented in Section 6, and Appendix A included resumes of key project personnel.