Goodhope Access Roads: Archaeological Mitigation of Sites 9CE578, 9CE608, and 9CE876 for Fort Benning Military Reservation in Chattahoochee County, Georgia

In 2009, the Department of the Army at Fort Benning Military Reservation requested a technical proposal for the archaeological mitigation (Phase III) of three sites in Chattahoochee County, Georgia: 9CE578, 9CE608, and 9CE876. Proposed construction of the Good Hope Maneuver Area (Fort Benning Project Number 69668) as a part of the installation's transformation to meet the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act of 1995 and other Army initiatives will significantly impact these sites. Site 9CE578 represents a multi-component site consisting of an Early Archaic, Terminal Archaic, and what is considered a Terminal Woodland component. Previous work done on this site includes the Phase I survey by Maguire Associates, Inc. (Maguire 1995) and the Phase II testing by Panamerican Consultants, Inc. (PCI) (Carruth et al. 2008). While previous work on this site suggested various components such as Middle Woodland, Late Woodland, Mississippian, and Historic Creek, the current work revealed that nearly all of the later deposits at this site (post-Archaic) date to the Terminal Woodland, specifically Averett. Two partial vessels were recovered and C-14 dating indicate a calibrated date of around 1170 A.D. The fieldwork at this site took place from May 5, 2010 to June 24, 2010. Site 9CE608 is a multi-component site spanning from the Early Archaic to Mississippian. Previous work done on this site includes the Phase I by Maguire Associates, Inc. (Maguire 1995) and the Phase II by PCI (Carruth et al. 2008). The current work produced a large number of diagnostics dating from the Early Archaic to the Late Woodland. Although this site contained very high artifact density, no features were recorded during the project. The fieldwork at this site started on April 12, 2010 and was completed on May 7, 2010. Site 9CE876 is a multi-component site consisting of Early Archaic, Terminal Archaic, and Historic Creek. Previous work done on this site includes the Phase I by PCI (Hendryx 1997) and the Phase II by PCI (Carruth et al. 2009). The north portion of this project, where the current excavations took place consisted predominately of a Lawson Field Phase Historic Creek component. This area had greatly impacted primarily by the construction of River Bend Road. The fieldwork at this site started on October 12, 2009 and was completed on October 28, 2009. PCI performed the archival research, data recovery fieldwork, and laboratory processes related to these mitigations between September 2009 and January 2011. All work was conducted in compliance with Sections 106 and 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, with regulations implementing this legislation (36 CFR Part 800-Protection of Historic Properties), specific National Register Bulletin guidelines (e.g., Guidelines for Evaluating and Registering Cemeteries and Burial Places), the Secretary of Interior 's Guidelines for Evaluation and Documentation, and with standards set by the Georgia Historic Preservation Division, Department of Natural Resources. The report of PCI's mitigation of these sites is presented in the following chapters. Chapter 1 presents an introduction to the project areas and discusses past investigations at 9CE578, 9CE608, and 9CE876.Chapter 2 contains information concerning the past and present environmental conditions at each site. Chapter 3 contains the cultural history of the Fort Benning region. Chapter 4 is a description of the field methods used during the mitigation and a review of the research design. Chapter 5 details the laboratory methods used during artifact analysis, provides a description of the artifacts recovered during the project, as well as an overall analysis of the materials recovered at each site. Chapter 6 contains the results of the fieldwork and interpretations for 9CE578. Chapter 7 contains the results of the fieldwork and interpretations for 9CE608. Chapter 8 contains the results of the fieldwork and interpretations for 9CE876. Finally Chapter 9 concludes the report with a brief interpretive synopsis of PCI's findings and recommendations. Appendix A is the Material Recovered Table. Appendix B contains the revised copy of the Georgia State Site File Form. Appendix C contains the Research Design developed for the project. Appendix Dis the radio carbon results for Site 9CE578. Appendix E is the scope of work for this project and, lastly, Appendix F contains the curriculum vitae of key personnel.