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Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed Peachtree Airport Expansion, Fayette County, Georgia

Author(s)
Report Number
749
Year of Publication
1987
Abstract

An intensive cultural resources survey was conducted on approximately 28 ha (70 ac) of mostly wooded land that is to be used to expand the existing Peachtree City Airport, known as Falcon Field. Surface inspection and shovel testing led to the discovery of 11 archeological sites and other non-site historic resources such as stills. Basic site data (size, components present, depth of material, integrity) was gathered for each of the three historic and eight prehistoric sites. Two of the prehistoric sites, 9Fy(SAS)6 and 9Fy(SAS)8, contain undisturbed, subsurface deposits and features that make then valuable for addressing a number of current issues dealing with prehistoric settlement and subsistence in the Georgia Piedmont. These two sites meet the criteria for eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places at the local level of significance and thus warrant protective or mitigative measures. Given the substantial earthmoving necessary to build a nearly level airstrip, the proximity of the sites to the proposed centerline of the new strip and the constraints on redesign imposed by the nearby floodplain of Line Creek, preservation of the two sites seems impossible. We recommend that data recovery, involving the excavation of about 78 square meters at the two sites, be conducted to retrieve a good representative sample of the data that will be lost.