Phase I Archaeological Survey of Four Parcels at the McLemore Cove Mitigation Site in Walker County, Georgia

Between June 17 and June 24, 2013, Edwards‑Pitman Environmental, Inc. (EPEI) conducted a Phase I archaeological survey of approximately 212 acres within the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) owned McLemore Cove Mitigation Site (MCMS) in Walker County, Georgia (P.I. No. 0009828). All work was completed under a contract with ARCADIS U.S. Inc., of Atlanta, Georgia. GDOT=s McLemore Cove Mitigation Site, located 9 miles southwest of LaFayette, Georgia, satisfies several land use and ecological criteria for the department. Proposed mitigation activities include stream restoration, riparian restoration, and preservation. EPEI=s survey area consists of four parcels (Parcels 1, 2, 4, and 7) within this mitigation tract. There are plans to utilize these areas for parking and participant camping during a large‑scale Civil War reenactment event in September of 2013.

Prior to the commencement of fieldwork, a review of the records housed at the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) was conducted, revealing that no previously recorded archaeological sites are present within 1 kilometer of the survey area. The survey area falls within the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)‑listed McLemore Cove Historic District, a 50,000+ acre area between Lookout Mountain and Pigeon Mountain that contains many excellent examples of late nineteenth and early twentieth century farmsteads. Prior archaeological survey within McLemore Cove around Cedar Grove identified numerous Archaic, Woodland, and Historic period archaeological resources.

Survey resulted in the identification of nine archaeological sites within the survey area and four isolated artifacts. These newly recorded sites have been assigned the following official state site numbers: 9WA339, 9WA340, 9WA341, 9WA342, 9WA343, 9WA344, 9WA345, 9WA346, and 9WA347. All archaeological resources were located in either Parcels 4 or 7; no sites were found in survey Parcels 1 or 2. Historic era archaeological components are present at 9WA341, 9WA342, 9WA343, and 9WA346, and precontact components are present at every site save for 9WA346.

Each site was evaluated for information potential as it relates to site NRHP eligibility under Criterion D based on survey results. Several sites exhibit minimal research value based on factors such as very low artifact densities, lack of datable materials, poor preservation, and disturbances that have compromised site integrity. Among these were sites 9WA339, 9WA344, 9WA345; these sites are considered ineligible for listing on the NRHP under Criterion D. Similarly, the surveyed portion of 9WA346 was found to be non‑contributing to the site=s eligibility, although overall eligibility remains unknown due to incomplete delineation. The remaining sites, 9WA340, 9WA341, 9WA342, 9WA343, and 9WA347, are considered to be potentially capable of yielding significant information about the past based on survey results. Additional Phase II testing investigations at these sites would be necessary in order to clarify site NRHP eligibility under Criterion D.