Phase I Archaeological Survey for the Proposed Bridge Replacement over House Creek on US 129/SR 11 in Ben Hill County, Georgia

This report presents the results of Phase I archaeological survey conducted for Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) project PI No. 0011676, in Ben Hill County, Georgia. The proposed project would replace the substandard bridge on US 129/SR 11 over House Creek. The proposed bridge would be constructed on a parallel alignment just southwest of the existing alignment. This alignment serves to avoid the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fish hatchery and the Bowen's Mill Christian Community school on the east side of US 129/SR 11. The survey was conducted in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (36 CFR 800). The goal of the survey was to identify any previously unrecorded archaeological resources that may be affected by the proposed GDOT project, and to evaluate those sites for eligibility for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Two previously unrecorded archaeological sites were identified during the survey: 9BH27 and 9BH28. GDOT recommends that archaeological site 9BH27 is eligible for the NRHP under Criteria C and D. This site represents the ruins of a nineteenth century grist and sawmill, mill dam, and an associated community recreational area. US 129/SR 11/Dixie Highway bisects the site, and it was a regular stop for the Abbeville & Waycross Railroad (later consolidated into the Seaboard Airline Railroad) beginning as early as 1890. The portion of the site within the APE contains unique and significant data toward research questions pertaining to: • nineteenth century preferred mill dam engineering and technology in the Vidalia Upland physiographic district of Georgia • industrial development and change in technology used to power small community mills in South Georgia over time, which can be addressed through analysis of a belt pulley, two turbines, and mill dam located at the site • the decline of local mills and their subsequent rebirth as community recreational and commercial areas using temporal data derived from the refuse pile and recreational area ruins in relation to the known timeframes provided by the construction of the A&W (SAR) railroad and Dixie Highway It is recommended that the site be avoided and if avoidance is not possible, that project designers consider ways to minimize impacts to the site. If the site cannot be avoided, the portion within the APE will require mitigation. GDOT recommends that an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) be designated around the site boundaries and that orange barrier fencing be placed along the portion of the APE that intersects the ESA. 9BH28 is a precontact lithic scatter that was located outside of the Area of Potential Effect but partially within the Expanded Survey Corridor (ESC). The portion of site 9BH28 within the ESC lacks significant data potential, therefore there will be no adverse effects to the site. However, the overall NRHP eligibility of the site is unknown because the site's boundaries extend beyond the project limits. GDOT recommends that an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) boundary be designated at the site to protect the portion that extends beyond the project limits.