Phase II Archaeological Testing & Construction Monitoring of Site 9HT56 at Robins Air Force Base, Houston County, Georgia

The purpose of this report is to present the results of a Phase II archaeological testing project and subsequent construction monitoring conducted at Site 9HT56 for Robins Air Force Base, Houston County, Georgia. The goals of the project were to refine knowledge about the horizontal and vertical extent of cultural deposits at 9HT56 and to make a National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility determination for the site. Posthole testing of the site within the Area of Potential Effects (APE) for a proposed Approach Lighting System (ALS) was conducted in 1999. Background research for the Phase II project was initiated in early 2005 and primary field work was conducted from March 24 to May 11, 2005. Archaeological monitoring of ALS construction was conducted in the latter part of 2006 and throughout 2007. A final test unit was excavated on January 5 and 6, 2009. All activities conducted at the site since early 2005 are reported here. The report of the 1999 Posthole Testing is included as an appendix to this report. Site 9HT56 has produced a large variety and quantity of cultural materials. These materials temporally associate 9HT56 with the Late Archaic through Middle Woodland periods; a small Historic Creek Indian component is also evident. The artifacts have been consistently recovered from undisturbed contexts, demonstrating that the site has clarity and integrity to its deposits. Finally, 9HT56 fits a unique environmental context for the region as a stratified site in an upland location bordering the floodplain of a major river (the Ocmulgee). Based on this research program, the Air Force determined that 9HT56 is eligible for inclusion in the NRHP under Criterion D--the site has yielded or is likely to yield information important to the prehistory of the region. The 2006 and 2007 monitoring program was successful in ensuring that base activities did not adversely affect the site, and the Air Force will continue to manage 9HT56 as a significant archaeological resource.