Cultural Resources Survey Proposed Austell Commons Development Site Cobb County, Georgia

In September 1997, R. S. Webb & Associates conducted a cultural resources survey of the proposed 21.2 hectare Austell Commons Development Site east of Austell Road and south of East-West Highway in Cobb County, Georgia. The survey was conducted to locate and identify cultural resources and assess resource significance based on National Register of Historic Places criteria [36 CFR Part 60.4(d)]. The literature review indicated that there are no National Register-listed or eligible properties within or adjacent to the proposed development area. One state-recognized prehistoric site (Site 9C0475) is located in the eastern portion of the tract. Six cultural resource locations were recorded during the field survey and include five lithic scatters and one standing house. Three of the five lithic scatters identified are encompassed in the previously recorded boundaries of Site 9C0475. The two remaining scatters (Sites 9C0531 and 9C0532) are within 150 meters of the 9C0475 boundary. Components represented by the lithic scatters include Unknown Prehistoric, Early Archaic and Late Archaic periods. The standing house (Structure 1) may have been built in the 1940s based on the archival data, architecture and building materials. The structure has undergone substantial renovation. No archeological remains were found in association with this house. Due to a lack of integrity and potential to yield significant information to the understanding of history and prehistory in the area, the three archeological sites and the structure are recommended as ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The entire project area has been severely disturbed by previous cultivation, logging and encroaching development. Based on the survey findings, clearance is recommended for the Austell Commons Development Site.