Phase I Archaeological Survey of SR 154/SR 166 at CR 1386/Stonewall Tell Road, Fulton County, Georgia

The proposed safety project to improve the intersection skew angle and sight distance of the intersection of SR 154/SR 166 Campbellton Road and Stonewall Tell Road is located in Fulton County, approximately nine miles west of East Point, Georgia. The existing ROW for these roads measures 80 feet (24 m) on Campbellton Road and 55 feet (17 m) on Stonewall Tell Road. This intersection currently experiences a high number of rear end crashes due to the lack of sight distance and absence of a left turn lane on SR 154/SR 166 Campbellton Road. The construction zone for the proposed project is approximately 1,805 feet (550 m) along Campbellton Road and 1,025 feet (312 m) along CR 1386 (Stonewall Tell Road). The corridor following CR 1386 measures 450 feet (137 m) wide at the intersection with SR 154/SR 166 to accommodate intersection improvements. Approximately 325 feet (99 m) south of the intersection, the corridor along Stonewall Tell Road narrows to 325 feet (99 m). The corridor following SR 154/SR 166 is 160 feet (49 m) wide but narrows to 120 feet (37 m) approximately 300 feet (91 m) from the corridor's eastern terminus. The intersection will also be improved by adding left and right turn lanes. The work for this survey was conducted in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (36 CFR 800) and was intended to determine the presence of significant archaeological resources in the project's area of potential effect (APE). Phase I Archaeological Survey of the intersection improvements of SR 154/SR 166 Campbellton Road and Stonewall Tell Road in Fulton County, Georgia required the excavation of 148 shovel tests. Of the excavated shovel tests, 13 contained artifacts and 33 shovel test pit locations fell within areas that were steeply sloped, possessed subsurface utilities, or featured impenetrable or heavily disturbed ground surface. The survey resulted in the identification of two archaeological sites, 9FU580 and 9FU583. Both sites possessed the ruins of houses, while 9FU580 also featured the ruins of several outbuildings. Other surface features at 9FU580 included a concrete lined well, several push piles, and a pit of unspecified purpose. A narrow roadbed was noted along the margin of the expanded survey corridor (ESC), and a large pit used to burn refuse was observed on the northwestern limits of the site. Surface artifact finds, features, and positive shovel test pits were situated within the APE and the ESC, but the site was not delineated past the ESC. Recovered artifacts included porcelain, Bristol-slipped stoneware, cut nails, and cleared machine-made glass, which comprised the majority of the assemblage. The artifact evidence and historical research suggests the farmstead dates to the early to mid twentieth century and was likely inactive by 1955. The eligibility of 9FU580 for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) remains unknown, as the site was not documented with subsurface testing beyond ESC. The overall integrity of site components was low as impact from previous development was evident in the presence of push piles and the complete razing of the house. A majority of the site lies within the ESC boundary. This portion of the site has been mechanically demolished sometime after the mid-twentieth century, and has little potential to provide significant archaeological information concerning the site's possible eligibility for the NRHP. A second house site (9FU583) was identified north of Campbellton Road on the western limits of the APE. The house appears on aerial photography from 1938 with a L-shaped footprint. One shovel test contained cut-nail fragments and glass. Surface features included a chimney fall, well, and foundation piers west of the APE, and a depression within the APE boundary. While the core of the site lies outside the APE, associated artifacts were found in an excavated shovel test pit, as well as a depression that is either associated with the razing of the building or the former location of a tree. The house appears to be demolished by 1955 according to aerial photography. Like Site 9FU580, the overall integrity of site components within the APE was poor, evident in the complete razing of the house and the sparse artifact distribution which was largely devoid of diagnostic material. The eligibility of 9FU583 for the NRHP remains unknown, as the site was not tested beyond the APE and ESC. The portion of the site examined does not contribute to the site's overall potential eligibility for the NRHP. An isolated fragment of Solarized, or Amethyst, glass was also found in the power cut intersecting Stonewall Tell Road. No other artifacts were recovered in subsequent 50-foot interval shovel test pits around the glass find. Isolated finds are not considered eligible for the NRHP.