Archaeological Survey of 42.6 Acres in McLemore Cove, Walker County, Georgia

New South Associates, Inc. has completed a Phase I Archaeological Survey of 17.2 hectares (42.6 ac.) for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in Walker County, Georgia. The survey covered portions of the state-owned McLemore Cove Tract that will be used for campgrounds during a planned re-enactment of the Civil War Battle of Chickamauga (1863), which originally took place north of McLemore Cove. Tasks completed for this survey included background research, fieldwork, and laboratory analysis. The project area lay within the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)-listed McLemore Cove Historic District, which is significant for several buildings, structures, and landscapes dating to the 1825-1949 period. The district is not associated with the Civil War battle nor does it contain any known archaeological resources. Background research suggested a moderate to high potential for prehistoric archaeological resources and a moderate potential for historic archaeological resources in the study area. The survey identified three prehistoric archaeological sites, 9WA336, 9WA337, and 9WA338, and a prehistoric isolated find. The sites, representing low-density lithic scatters, could not be assigned chronological or functional associations, and showed signs of being eroded by natural or historic/modern land use. They have not provided significant information about prehistory and have a low potential to generate useful data beyond what has already been collected. The sites are therefore recommended not eligible for the NRHP individually, and they do not add to the significance of the McLemore Historic District. Accordingly, no further preservation of these resources is recommended.