Cultural Resources Survey of Proposed City of Gainesville Land Application Wastewater Treatment Facility

Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc., has just completed an intensive survey of the proposed land application wastewater treatment facility for the City of Gainesville, Georgia. The work was mandated by Federal guidelines because environmental impact could result. The approximately 840 acre project area is located southeast of Gainesville between U.S. highway 129 and Georgia highway 60. Allen Creek bisects the steeply undulating project area. The entire project area was surveyed by pedestrian coverage. Sites were located using visual inspection and subsurface shovel testing. The wooded nature of most of the project area necessitated the excavation of 188 shovel tests. These were placed on every level area where habitation may have been possible, on gentle slopes and at other areas that exhibited evidence of potential human activity (i.e. rock shelters, possible stills, etc.). Twelve archeological sites and six isolated artifact occurrences were found by this survey. Three of the sites are prehistoric artifact scatters and nine are the ruins of historic houses. Table I provides pertinent information on the twelve archeological sites. Site 91-11395 is a historic house site and cemetery. The house has been completely removed by construction of Allen Creek road, and only disturbed remains exist along the both sides of the 40 ft deep road cut. Three graves, probably associated with the house, are immediately south of the road. All three graves have head and foot stones, and one, of a three year old child, has a death date of 1870. The road bank comes within inches of one of the graves, which may already be disturbed by erosional undercutting. The inevitable continued erosion of the road bank puts all three graves in danger.