Phase I Cultural Resources Survey of the Rail Car Loading Facility Tract, Chatham and Effingham Counties, Georgia

Between 16 and 19 December 2013, Brockington and Associates, Inc. conducted an intensive Phase I cultural resources survey of the proposed Rail Car Loading Facility project area in Chatham and Effingham Counties, Georgia. Proposed construction within the project area includes a bypass railroad track connecting to existing Norfolk Southern tracks, plus two loading tracks, two staging tracks, and associated infrastructure including roads and driveways. The cultural resources investigations were carried out for Resource and Land Consultants as a permit requirement pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended through 2006). The study was conducted by personnel qualified under the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualification Standards (36 CPR Part 61-Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation).     The approximately 80-acre (32.3-hectare [ha]) project tract is located north of Georgia Highway 30 and west of the Norfolk Southern railroad line. The Area of Potential Effects (APE) is defined archaeologically as well as architecturally. The archaeological APE is the entire 80-acre Rail Car Loading Facility project tract. The architectural resources APE is defined as the 80-acre tract and the immediate viewshed. This viewshed varies due to the mixed presence of woodland, plowed fields, and road, but is on average approximately 50 meters (m) beyond project tract boundaries. The project tract is bounded to the south by Georgia Highway 30 and private lands; to the west and north by private lands, and to the east by the Norfolk Southern Railroad. Topography is low and level. The current landscape within the property includes forested land, swampland, and plowed fields. Development consists of a single dirt road, an underground pipeline corridor, and a few drainage ditches.     Background research and cultural resources survey were used to identify potentially significant resources within the project's APE. Background research conducted on NAHRGIS identified no previously recorded archaeological sites or historic resources within the project tract. Seven archaeological sites and one historic resource were previously recorded within a one-kilometer (km) (0.6-mile [mi]) radius of the project tract. The eight previously recorded cultural resources will not be affected by the proposed development.     Archaeological field survey involved systematic 30-m interval shovel testing and visual reconnaissance within boundaries of the project tract. The field survey identified three previously unrecorded archaeological sites (9CH1356, 9CH1357, and 9CH1358) and no isolated finds. Site 9CH1356 is a small, late eighteenth-/early nineteenth-century artifact scatter, and 9CH1357 is a late eighteenth to twentieth-century artifact scatter. Site 9CH1358 is a prehistoric Early/Middle Woodland period artifact scatter. All three sites have been extensively disturbed by plowing and are recommended not eligible for the NRHP.     Architectural field survey consisted of a visual pedestrian walkover of the proposed Rail Car Loading Facility project area and its viewshed. The architectural survey resulted in the identification of four previously unrecorded historic resources. Resource 1, an unidentified shed, contains no architectural merit or significant design, nor does it have important historical or personal associations, and is therefore recommended not eligible for the NRHP. Resource 2, a segment of the Norfolk Southern Railroad, and Resource 3, a segment of the CSX Railroad, both retain their architectural and engineering integrity, and are recommended NRHP eligible. Resource 4, a portion of the Little Hurst Canal, does not appear to be significant for its architecture, engineering, or its historical associations, and is therefore recommended not eligible for listing on the NRHP.     Resources 2 and 3, segments of the Norfolk Southern Railroad and the CSX Railroad, were examined for potential adverse effects by the proposed project. Because of the nature of the railroad industry, including the frequent addition of loading facilities for industry and commerce, the proposed project will not constitute an adverse effect to Resource 2, the Norfolk Southern Railroad. The mainline of the existing railroad will not be altered and its alignment will not change. In addition, because the railroad's setting does not contribute to its NHRP eligibility, there is no visual effect. Regarding the CSX Railroad, this line will not be modified and therefore there is no adverse effect. Because its setting does not contribute to its NHRP eligibility, there is no visual effect.     In summary, the cultural resource investigations of the Rail Car Loading Facility tract resulted in the identification of three newly recorded archaeological sites and four newly recorded historic resources. All three archaeological sites and two of the four historic resources are recommended not eligible for the NRHP. The other two historic resources, Resources 2 and 3, are recommended eligible for the NRHP, but a finding of no adverse effects is anticipated. It is the opinion of Brockington and Associates, Inc. that no additional cultural resource management is warranted for the Rail Car Loading Facility tract.