Cultural Resources Survey and Testing Harbor View Development Site Cherokee County, Georgia

R.S. Webb & Associates conducted a cultural resources survey of the 687-hectare (1,700 acres) Harbor View development site in Cherokee County, Georgia. The site is located northwest of Holly Springs along Allatoona Lake. The cultural resources survey resulted in the detection of 238 cultural resources, including 158 cultural resource sites, 62 isolated artifact finds and 18 isolated rock piles/terraces. Most of the cultural resource sites are artifact scatters (n= 117) composed of prehistoric lithics and/or historic glass and ceramic items. Twenty-five resources are well defined historic house sites. Other site types include liquor stills (n=6) and gold mines (n= 10). The isolated artifact finds indicate the widespread use of the project area and the high level of disturbance sustained by the area during the 19th and early 20th century. The isolated rock piles and terraces are probably related to 19th and early 20th century agricultural activities. Based on the survey, 141 cultural resources sites, the 62 isolated finds and the 18 isolated rock piles/ terraces are considered ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). No further work is recommended for these sites because they are low density resources or are severely disturbed. Seventeen cultural resource sites were recommended as potentially eligible for the NRHP due to the archeological information they may contain. Seven of the potentially eligible sites were evaluated through test excavations so that clear NRHP eligibility recommendations could be made. Four of these sites are considered eligible for the NRHP. The remaining three sites were recommended ineligible for the NRHP based on high levels of disturbance. The remaining 10 potentially eligible resources will be protected and avoided under an in-place preservation plan. Prehistoric artifact assemblages from the current study area are composed primarily of lithic artifacts, mostly debitage and hunt-related tools. Artifacts typically found on habitation sites (e.g., ceramics, processing slabs, ground stone) were recovered at only two sites after testing. These data imply that the more remote uplands around the Etowah River and related tributary valleys were used predominately for resource procurement activities such as hunting, collecting and lithic extraction. The historic assemblages and sites reflect domestic agrarian and industrial pursuits from the 19th century through the middle 20th century. Agriculture was important as evidenced by the domestic sites, terracing and rock piles. Gold mining was, and still is an active industry in the area. Almost every landform within the project area contains one or more gold mining pits.