Archaeological Investigations at the Kolb Farm Battlefield Site Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, 1985-1986

This report covers three archeological investigations which were carried out by Southeast Archeological Center staff members at the Kolb Farm Battlefield Site, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, during 1985-1986. The first of these investigations, which was carried out April 24-27, 1985, by Jackson W. Moore, Jr., Kenneth S. Wild, Jr., and John M. Ricisak, consisted of archeological survey and testing of the area which would be impacted by the widening of Powder Springs Road. The 34-foot wide zone to be most impacted by the actual widening of the road and the sloping of the shoulders was found to be sterile, due to earlier ground disturbing activities. However, the I-to 30-foot width to be impacted by tree removal, grading, and other construction related activities was found to contain a concentration of artifactual materials which could evidence the site of the Civil War period Kolb blacksmith shop. However, archeological testing of this area produced no structural evidence for a building; and historic data suggests the possibility that this is the site, not of the Kolb smithy, but of the "shop" shown on the 1937 highway map. The second investigation occurred September 25-27, 1985, when John W. Walker and Allen H. Cooper examined a stone feature discovered during the clearing phase of the Powder Springs Road widening. Although it had been suggested that the feature might evidence a Kolb Farm slave cabin ' it was found to be a portion of a retaining wall which had been constructed in the late 1800s or early 1900s. Walker and Cooper also conducted the third investigation. On April 22, 1986, they archeologically surveyed and tested the proposed location of the Kolb Farm Battlefield interpretive parking area on the west side of Cheatham Hill Road. The tests produced a small number of artifacts, all of which appeared -to date from the occupation of two small buildings that were located nearby in the 1930s; but, despite the area being adjacent to a Union entrenchment which was involved in the battle, no Civil War period artifacts were recovered. However, surveying the entire parking area with metal detectors resulted in the recovery of artillery shell fragments, canister shot, bullets, and Minie balls, which are believed to be an adequate sample, if not the majority, of the Civil War period artifacts remaining in that area. Because of the recovery of presumably representative artifact samples from the investigated areas and the lack of evidence for any historically significant historic structures, no further archeological investigation was recommended.