Interim Report of Archaeological Testing at 9CM268 at the Tuscan Landing Property Camden County, Georgia

During May 2005, Environmental Services, Inc. (ESI) performed an intensive cultural resource assessment survey of unsold lots at the Tuscan Landing residential development property in northern Camden County, Georgia, at the request of Waterfront Group Georgia, LLC. During the survey, one archaeological site (9CM268) was identified in the northwestern portion of the property at the location of House Lots 45, 46, and 47, and this site was exposed to limited excavation to evaluate its National Register eligibility status. Only the portion of 9CM268 that corresponds with the southern part of Lot 45 exhibits characteristics that render the site eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. The remainder of the site is comparatively low-lying and contains only limited subsurface deposits. Figure 1 is a general vicinity map of the site and Figure 2 depicts the location of the site as seen on the 1989 USGS Waverly topographic quadrangle map. Figure 3 identifies the site as it relates to the proposed development, with the significant portion of the site shaded gray, and the shovel test points within this significant portion were professionally surveyed by Jackson Surveying, Inc. The results from survey and evaluative testing at 9CM268 were presented to Mr. David Crampton, Archaeologist with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), during a meeting on May 18, 2005. During the meeting, it was agreed that 9CM268 appears eligible for National Register inclusion, and that in-place preservation would be feasible, provided that the development would not have an adverse effect on the site. The purpose of this interim report is to request approval from the USACE and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Division (GDNR, HPD) that in-place preservation will be an acceptable course of action. A site description and a determination of eligibility and effect are provided below that should allow for such a decision to be made. A final report of the findings will be presented in a technical report to each of the regulatory agencies upon consensus of this issue of site avoidance.