Phase I Archaeological Survey of Select Localities along the Sardis Church Road Extension, Bibb County, Georgia

New South Associates has completed an archaeological survey of select locations along the Sardis Church Road Extension in response to a request by HTNB Corporation. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is in the planning stages of a proposed extension of Sardis Church Road from its existing location east of Skipper Road to U.S. 129/S.R. 247 (Hawkinsville Road) (GDOT PI No. 0000566, Project No. STP00-0000-00(566)). The work for this survey was conducted as per 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 at specific locations within the project’s area of potential effect (APE).     Survey areas were identified as 29 specific localities outlined on a map entitled Plan and Profile Map of the Proposed Sardis Church Road Extension from East of Skipper Road to U.S. 129/S.R. 247, dated May 16, 2012. The project did not call for an examination of the Expanded Survey Corridor (ESC), site boundary delimitations or other archaeological testing outside the survey areas.     Background research at the Georgia State Archaeological Site Files identified four surveys, 13 previously recorded sites and seven isolated finds within one kilometer of the project’s survey localities. A total of four Section 106 compliance-level surveys were conducted near this project’s survey localities. A survey and addendum survey of the Sardis Church Road Connector construction corridor overlapped with a number of this project’s survey localities. Site 9BI110 partially overlapped with Locality 9. A previously identified well was relocated, but no surface or subsurface finds were recorded. No evidence was found to change 9BI110’s status as not eligible for inclusion on the NRHP. Site 9BI164, which was not recorded as part of a survey, was originally positioned in Locality 14. The cemetery was relocated in 2010 and no longer represented a cultural resource within the Sardis Church Road Extension construction corridor.     Over the course of the survey, no new archaeological sites were identified. As noted above, one previously recorded site, 9BI110, was identified but no materials were recovered. Eight isolated finds were discovered. The isolated finds include clear bottle glass at Find 1, asbestos siding at Find 2, a Lamar rim sherd at Find 3, aqua bottle glass at Find 4, alkaline glaze pottery at Find 5, clear bottle glass at Find 6, a terra cotta sherd from Find 7 and a nail at Find 8. None of these isolated finds meet the requirements to be defined as an archaeological site and, therefore, are not considered eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).     Work within the tested localities is not likely to disturb archaeological sites on or eligible for the NRHP. Upon concurrence with these findings by the State Historic Preservation Office, no further work is necessary to satisfy Section 106 requirements and the planned undertaking may proceed.