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Cultural Resources Field Investigations for the Medical Arts Center Substation, Chatham County, Georgia

Report Number
9314
Year of Publication
2016
County
Abstract

The project archaeologist conducted a pedestrian inspection of the project tract on June 21 and 23, 2016. The goal of this investigation was to assess the condition of the project tract, and identify any potential archaeological resources. The field investigation confirmed that the eastern portion of the project tract was heavily disturbed and contained a paved parking lot. The remainder of the project tract consisted of a manicured lawn, a paved driveway, a paved walkway, and a standing house. Figures 4-8 show typical views within the project tract.

Shovel tests were excavated along 30-meter intervals in the non-paved areas of the project tract. A total of four shovel tests were excavated at 30-meter intervals. Shovel tests located in the open grassy area in the central portion of the project tract typically contained a soil profile that consisted of a dark greyish brown sandy loam filled with relatively modern debris such as melted rubber, a C-sized battery, a Coca-Cola bottle fragment, a metal garden hose nozzle, and gravel from 0 to 15 cm. Very dark grayish brown clayey sands mottled with yellowish brown clayey sands were encountered between 15 to 40 cm. A yellowish brown clayey sand clay mottled with reddish brown, black, and gray sandy clays was encountered below 40 cm. This soil profile indicates that the manicured lawn area in the central portion of the project area had been severely disturbed, and it appears that the area had been filled in the recent past. Figure 9 shows a typical shovel test excavated within the central portion of the project tract. Shovel tests excavated in the yard area around the standing house located in the western portion of the project tract appeared to be less disturbed. These shovel tests contained 0 to 20 cm of grayish brown sand filled with gravel and pebbles, underlain by a brownish yellow to brownish gray sand that extended anywhere between 35 and 55 cm. Pale brown sands were encountered below 55 cm.