Statement of National Register Eligibility for Archaeological Site 9WG(DOT)22, Washington County, Georgia

Site 9WG(DOT)22 was located on February 11, 2009 during an archaeological survey for Georgia Department of Transportation project STP-0007-00(415), Washington County. The proposed project would improve the intersection of SR 242 and Waco Mill Road and South Hospital Road. Site 9WG(DOT)22 was located within the proposed project's area of potential effect (APE).

Site 9WG(DOT)22 was located on the south side of SR 242, between the Sandersville Railroad and an existing house. The site was discovered during shovel testing along the edge of a small construction easement that is approximately 5 feet beyond existing right-of-way. A total of three shovel test units were excavated at 15 m intervals in an effort to delineate the site boundaries and to assess the integrity of the archaeological deposits. All shovel tests were screened with ¼” wire mesh screens and all artifacts were collected.

Shovel testing at 9WG(DOT)22 revealed low density late 19th to late 20th century artifacts. The site is mostly located within the existing right-of-way of the Sandersville Railroad and is not going to be impacted by the current project. The site is bounded to the west by the fill deposits associated with the railroad bed and on the east by the existing house facing SR 242. The southern boundary was not delineated due to the fact that it extends beyond the project APE. Due to the fact that the site was not fully delineated, the site boundary is unknown. All three of the excavated shovel tests were positive for cultural artifacts. The three positive shovel tests yielded 5 clear container glass fragments, 2 brick fragments, 1 window glass fragment, and 1 milk glass fragment. The artifacts collected from shovel testing are consistent with the types of artifacts found on a historic house site. There does not appear to be a pattern to the artifact distribution that would indicate specific activity loci within the portion of the site investigated for this project. The artifact distribution seems to represent the scattered remains of a razed house site. A house is depicted on the 1962 USGS quadrangle map at this location. It is likely that the home was abandoned between 1962-2008 and then subsequently razed using heavy equipment. The light density of artifacts present at the site would also suggest that the material associated with the razed house was removed and dumped at another location. Although the artifact density is low, an approximate date range of the house site can be approximated using the presence of milk glass (1890-1960) and the depiction of the house on the 1962 USGS quadrangle map.

Site 9WG(DOT)22 was evaluated for eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criterion D, information potential. According to National Register Bulletin 15, a site may be eligible for the NRHP if it has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in history or prehistory. Due to the fact that only a portion of 9WG(DOT)22 was investigated, the site's eligibility for the NRHP remains unknown. However, it is concluded that the small portion of the site that is within the APE for the current project does not contribute to the overall eligibility of the site. Based on the disturbed context of the portion of site 9WG(DOT)22 within the APE as a result of the modem razing, it is concluded that this portion of the site is not likely to yield important information regarding research questions associated with house sites dating to the late 19th through late 20th century. According to "Historical Archaeology in Georgia", GARD Paper No. 14, evaluation of a historic site's eligibility for the NRHP must include an assessment of integrity of space, time, and occupation. Due to the disturbed context of the archaeological deposits within the APE at 9WG(DOT)22, this portion of the site lacks integrity of space, time, and occupation. As a result of the lack of integrity, none of the recommended research questions proposed in GARD Paper No. 14 can be addressed with this portion of 9WG(DOT)22.

It should also be noted that site 9WG(DOT)22 is within the boundary of the NRHP listed Forest Grove historic district. Forest Grove is a large antebellum farmstead. The district is made up of 21 resources including buildings, sites, and structures. The district is listed as eligible under Criteria A and C, in the area of agriculture, with a period of significance of 1840-1954. It is worth mentioning that although the district is not recommended eligible under Criterion D, the NR nomination form lists ten contributing "sites" including ''the family cemetery, the site of the blacksmith shop, one industrial site of the cotton gin and grist mill, the ruins of the "old" barn, the ruins of the cook's house, and the ruins of five sharecropper houses." It is implied from the NR nomination form that although the district contains significant archaeological sites, none of them have been archaeologically investigated. As a result, Criterion D was not listed on the form. Although site 9WG(DOT)22 is within the boundary of the Forest Grove NR eligible district, and within the period of significance, the project will not be effecting portions of the site that contribute to its overall eligibility and in turn will not be effecting contributing resources to the district.