Phase I Archaeological Survey for the Proposed Bridge Replacement on State Route 112 over Sapp Creek, and Phase II Archaeological Testing of Site 9GR111, Grady County, Georgia

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) proposes a project that would replace the existing bridge over Sapp Creek on State Route (SR) 112 in Grady County (P.I. No. 0012887, HP No. 141030‑008). GDOT archaeologists conducted a Phase I archaeological survey to identify archaeological resources potentially affected by the project. Edwards‑Pitman Environmental, Inc. (EPEI), working for the GDOT under a contract with HNTB Corporation (HNTB), then conducted Phase II testing investigations at 9GR111 in order to determine site significance and data potential as it relates to site eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This report provides a record of these investigations and recommendations concerning the proposed bridge replacement=s effects on archaeological resources.

Prior to fieldwork, background research was conducted to inform the survey investigation and to establish a context by which site significance could be evaluated. A review of available information in the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) revealed four previously recorded sites within 1 kilometer of the survey area, with predominantly nineteenth and twentieth century components. Prior surveys for the Tired Creek Reservoir have also recorded numerous nearby precontact components, including Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippi period resources. Several previous surveys overlap portions of the project area, including those conducted by Finney (2007) and Midgette (1974). On November 13, 2014, GDOT archaeologists carried out shovel testing survey within portions of the bridge replacement project survey area that had not been previously covered by prior surveys, resulting in the discovery of 9GR111, a precontact ceramic and lithic scatter located on a landform south of Sapp Creek and east of SR 112 that was recommended potentially eligible for the NRHP.

EPEI=s Phase II testing investigation of 9GR111 took place between November 24 and December 5, 2014. Fieldwork entailed a site sampling strategy devised in consultation with the GDOT that consisted of 7.5 meter interval shovel testing and six square meters of test unit (TU) excavations. These methods were used to examine site preservation and occupational history by ascertaining artifact frequency and distribution, site components, and the potential for preserved subsurface features. Phase I and II investigation resulted in a combined total of 27 positive shovel tests (Sts) spread over an area measuring approximately 90 by 65 meters. ST and TU excavations resulted in only a few diagnostic artifacts, but these suggest that multiple site components are present dating to the Late Archaic, Middle Woodland, and possibly the Late Woodland or Mississippi periods. All artifacts were found in mixed contexts disturbed by plowing and/or bioturbation. No discrete cultural features were identified.