Addendum Report Archaeological Survey of the West Rome Bypass Floyd County, Georgia

In compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended, archaeologists with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) conducted a Phase I intensive survey of the proposed West Rome Bypass [GDOT Project HPPNH-0012-01(085), PI 621660] in Floyd County, Georgia. The original survey for the project was conducted by Southeastern Archaeological Services, Inc. (SAS) in 1998, followed by a subsequent reevaluation survey by GDOT archaeologist Shawn Patch in 2003. SAS's original survey included multiple proposed alignments for both the West and Southwest Rome Bypass, the latter of which is currently under construction. Seventy archaeological sites were identified within the Area of Potential Effect (APE) for the two projects, however 51 of these sites and 13 artifact occurrences were recorded in the West Rome Bypass portion (Gresham 1998). No cultural resources were identified during the 2003 reevaluation survey. In December 2010, GDOT archaeologists revisited t e Fellowship Baptist Church Cemetery (9FL390), dating to the early nineteenth century, wit in an easement for a proposed detour road south of the existing Horseleg Creek Road. The boundary of the cemetery was further investigated in January 2011 during Phase I survey f the proposed detour easement. In addition to 9FL390, a previously unidentified portion of archaeological site 9FL222, originally identified by Gardner (1993) and later revisited by Gresham (1998), was also identified within the APE for the project. 9FL222 is a multi-component site consisting of an early nineteenth to early twentieth century farmstead occupation and light density prehistoric lithic scatter located near the intersection of Blacks Bluff Road and Horseleg Creek Road in Floyd County, Georgia. Investigation of 9FL222 within the proposed detour easement did not reveal the presence of intact archaeological deposits. All artifacts were recovered from the plowzone and a large amount of disturbance was noted within the site boundary, results similar to those presented by Gardner et al. and Gresham in their respective surveys. Due to the lack of integrity of the newly identified archaeological deposits associated wi h 9FL222, the portion of the site within the APE for the present project does not contribute to the eligibility of the site, however because the boundary could not be fully delineated within the APE, the site is of unknown eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). While 9FL390 was recorded by both Gardner et al. (1993) and Gresham (1998), it was located outside of their respective APE's and therefore not formally evaluated during either survey. Investigation of the cemetery resulted in a refinement of its western boundary as well as resulted in the evaluation of the site as eligible fo the NRHP under Criterion D for data potential. The cemetery was found to be significant as it relates to the settlement of Rome and Floyd County after Cherokee Removal and contains the potential to provide data regarding the burial practices, as well as the demographic and nutrition, of early settlers in the region. The following addendum report to the original 1998 and 2003 surveys addresses the delineation and evaluation of previously recorded site 9FL390, the Fellowship Baptist Church Cemetery, and 9FL222 within the project corridor.