Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed Carver School Road Borrow Pit Tract

Between October 29 and November 3, 2015, Brockington and Associates, Inc. (Brockington) completed a Phase I archaeological survey for the 37-acre (15-hectare) tract of the proposed Carver School Road Borrow Pit project located in Bryan County, Georgia. The tract is located at the intersection of Oak Level Road and Carver School Road in southeastern Bryan County. The survey was conducted for Rayonier, Inc. under provisions of the Georgia Surface Mining Act and Rules, in accordance with Section 391-3-3-.05, under the jurisdiction of the Surface Mining Unit of Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources. This rule cites that permitting for any surface mining project requires “protection of contiguous natural and other resources, including properties on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)” (State of Georgia 2015). Because an NRHP-eligible site with burials is located near the property, the Historic Preservation Division has determined that the project area may contain previously unrecorded sites, and has recommended that an archaeological survey be completed (Dixon 2015).

Archival research by Brockington did not reveal any previously recorded properties within the Area of Potential Effects (APE) that are listed on the NRHP or have been designated as National Historic Landmarks (NHL). Brockington completed the archaeological field survey which included shovel testing and pedestrian survey across the entire 37-acre tract, to search for any previously unrecorded cultural resources.

Our field investigations resulted in the identification of two archaeological sites (9BN1590 and 9BN1591) and three isolated archaeological finds (Isolates 1 - 3). Both sites 9BN1590 and 9BN1591 are low-density scatters of late eighteenth-/ early nineteenth-century historic materials that include prehistoric isolated finds. The low artifact counts and lack of intact contexts such as midden, archaeological features, or intact structural remains at these sites, indicate that they are not likely capable of producing significant information regarding local or regional historic or prehistoric development. Based on this assessment, Site 9BN1590, 9BN1591, and the three isolated artifact finds are recommended not eligible for the NRHP, and warrant no management considerations under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

The proposed development of the project tract thus contains no resources that qualify for further treatment as historic properties under Section 106 of the NHPA. Further, given the extensive survey completed within the project area, the potential for additional unidentified cultural resources to be located within the project area is considered very low. Any undiscovered cultural resources that may remain in the project area would likely be small (<30 m), low-density artifact scatters, also ineligible for the NRHP. Brockington and Associates recommends no further cultural resources investigations for the Carver School Road Borrow Pit tract.