Research Design for Data Recovery Excavations at Sites 9HY70. 9HY222, and 9SP14, Upper Towalinga Reservoir, Henry and Spalding Counties, Georgia

This document presents a research design that has been developed for data recovery excavations at sites 9HY70, 9HY222, and 9SP14, in Henry and Spalding Counties, Georgia (Figure 1). Law Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc., recommended these sites eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criterion D at the conclusion of their Phase II investigations in the Upper Towaliga Reservoir region (Webb and Gantt 1992; Webb et al. 1998). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Savannah District, and the Georgia State Historic Preservation Officer (GASHPO) subsequently agreed with those recommendations.

The Upper Towaliga Reservoir is part of a freshwater supply system designed to the Towaliga River drainage; the Henry County Water and Sewerage Authority currently plan to expand that facility. According to an undated Determination of Adverse Effect with regard to DA Permit Application Number 970013470, the USACE has determined that the Upper Towaliga Reservoir Redesign Project will have an adverse effect on the three archaeological sites mentioned above. They also determined that mitigation of the adverse effects will include data recovery archaeological investigations at all three sites.

A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) dated January 4, 1999, was executed by the USACE, the Henry County Water and Sewerage Authority, and the GASHPO. It has been forwarded to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C., for final approval. The design and implementation of the data recovery plan provided in this document will fulfill the stipulations in Sections 5(a) and 5(b) of the MOA.

This research design is organized by chapters for ease of reference. Chapter II provides a detailed cultural history of the region that underpins specific questions to be addressed during the study. Chapter III presents the project research questions and the general methods to be used to ensure that the issues raised in those questions are adequately addressed. Chapter IV presents an overview of previous investigations as well as details on methods that are site-specific. Chapter V provides information concerning the staff and sub consultants assigned to this project; TRC Garrow’s corporate qualifications for undertaking these investigations are also included. Project management, the project schedule, and deliverables are discussed in Chapter VI. A list of the references cites in the text completes the body of this document. Appendix 1 contains resumes of key project personnel.