Archaeological Phase I/II Survey of Proposed Improvements to Jonesboro Road, Clayton and Henry Counties, Georgia

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) intends to widen and improve an approximately 12-km (7.5-mi) length of Jonesboro Road, from its intersection with Interstate Highway 75 in Henry County westward to U.S. Highway 19/41 in Clayton County. The existing road is mostly two-laned with several sharp curves and will be widened to four lanes, some of which will be on new location to avoid significant historic resources. Consulting engineers Wolverton and Associates retained Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc. (SAS) to conduct the archeological investigations, which, in consultation with the GDOT, evolved throughout the project to include nine distinct phases of work conducted over a five-year period. The main complicating factor was the presence of a very large, poorly understood, important Civil War battlefield that extended along most of the length of the project. The principal phases of work were: Archival research early 2007 Reconnaissance survey of wide corridor spring 2007 Test possible Civil War trenches summer 2007 Delineate Civil War battlefield summer 2007 - late 2011 Phase I shovel test survey summer 2009 - winter 2010 Metal detector survey winter 2009 - 2010 Shovel test new/expanded sites spring 2010 Phase II testing of four sites summer 2011 Phase II testing for Civil War trenches late summer 2011 In essence, archival research and a reconnaissance survey guided the alignment of a proposed project corridor that avoided known and visible significant resources. This corridor was then archeologically surveyed with traditional surface inspection and shovel testing, resulting in the discovery of about 28 sites. The later implementation of a full coverage metal detector survey within a portion of the project corridor, the proposed Battles of Lovejoy's Station Battlefield, led to the identification of six more sites, the radical re-delineation of about 12 sites and the creation of a very large, overlay Civil War battlefield site, identified as site 9HY529/9CN195, the Battles of Lovejoy's Station Battlefield. Four of the sites were subjected to Phase II testing, comprised of geophysical investigations, additional metal detecting, and the excavation of test units, mostly by hand but with a backhoe at one site. The vast battlefield site 9HY529/9CN195 was also subjected to Phase II testing, in the form of intensive metal detecting and the exploration for and excavation of Civil War trenches, by hand and with a backhoe. The survey resulted in the discovery, investigation, description and evaluation of 35 archeological sites plus the overlying battlefield site 9HY529/9CN195 (Table 1). The Georgia Archaeological Site Files showed two sites touching on the final project corridor, 9CN6, the antebellum Crawford-Dorsey house and 9CN163, an isolated Civil War artifact. We located and investigated a portion of 9CN6, but were unable to relocate 9CN163. Several other sites, particularly National Register eligible site 9HY216, Nash Farm Historic Battlefield and 9CN121, a Civil War trench, were close to the corridor, but were avoided. The vast majority of the sites we recorded are mid- or late-nineteenth century houses or farmsteads, usually with only a small portion of the site within the project's area of potential effect. Three sites had a moderately substantial pre-contact period component, and all three appear to date to the Late Woodland period, with simple stamped pottery that indicates a Vining phase occupation. Several other sites had very small numbers of precontact period material.