Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed Tomacheechee Telecommunications Facility in Rincon, Effingham County, Georgia

A Phase I archaeological survey was performed on May 2, 2015 of the proposed lease area, access, and utility easement (hereafter called survey area) of the Tomacheehee telecommunication facility located in Rincon, Georgia (32º 17’ 24.54” N, 81º 13’ 19.58” W). The study was conducted for Terracon Consultants, Inc., on behalf of Skyway Towers, LLC and its controlled affiliates doing business as Verizon Wireless, in order to locate and identify cultural resources and to assess resource significance based on National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) criteria [36CFR Part 60.4 (a-d]. This survey was conducted to comply with the provisions of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) permitting under the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement (47 CFR Part 1). In accordance with the permitting process, the survey was conducted in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended. The Phase I survey included a literature review and intensive field survey. During the literature review, which took place on April 7, 2015, state and county maps and documents were examined to determine if previously recorded archaeological resources were located in or around the survey area. The field survey was conducted using surface and subsurface techniques to locate and identify archaeological resources within the survey area. Literature Review: Review of the Georgia Archaeological Site File, NRHP files, historic structures files, and compliance report files at the Georgia Historic Preservation Division revealed that there are no previously recorded archaeological sites or surveys within 1/2-mi of the survey area. Archaeological Resources Field Survey: There were no archaeological materials (i.e., artifacts, cultural deposits, features, or human remains) located within the survey area.  Recommendations: Because of the absence of archaeological materials within the current survey area, archaeological resource clearance is recommended; no further archaeological work is recommended for the project area APE for direct effects.