S&ME, Inc. (S&ME) has completed a Cultural Resources Survey for Verizon Wireless in support of the proposed development of a new 10,000 square feet cellular tower facility with a 89 feet monopole tower, associated support facilities, and access road. The project area is located at 2789 Pine Grove Road, approximately 4.8 miles northwest of the city limits of Ringgold, in Catoosa County, Georgia (Figures 1 and 2).
The proposed construction will consist of the monopole tower and concrete equipment pad in a 75 feet by 75 feet barbed wire fence enclosure within the 100 feet by 100 feet leased area. A 30 feet wide access and utility easement of a proposed access road will contain a 12 feet wide gravel drive, which is accessed via Warren Road. The tower enclosure and the proposed access road are located in a pasture. The area immediately surrounding the project area consists of agricultural fields, commercial areas, residential areas, and wooded lots (Figures 1 and 2). The Area of Potential Effect (APE) for the proposed tower includes the project area and a surrounding 0.5-mile radius, in accordance with the terms of the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement Regarding the Section 106 National Historic Preservation Review Policy (2004). The APE for direct effects is limited to the project footprint, while the APE for indirect effects consists of a 0.5 -mile radius around the project area.
Background research for the project indicated that there are no previously recorded archaeological sites and seven identified historic structures within the 0.5-mile search radius of the project area (1976101, 1976102, 200557, 200573, 200574, 200762, and 200764). Additionally, in a letter dated July 5, 2017, Kevin McAuliff of the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission (NWGRC) identified three additional previously recorded structures (200742, 200751, and 200759) that appeared to be within the APE for the project, as well as six structures within the APE that were identified in tax records as being greater than 50 years old (Figures 1 and 2; Table 1; Appendix B).
The current archaeological survey was conducted on June 15, 2017, and consisted of the hand excavation of sixteen shovel tests; no archaeological sites were identified within the project area. Based on our fieldwork, S&ME concludes that there are no National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) listed or eligible archaeological sites or aboveground resources in the project area. On August 10, 2017, S&ME visited the locations of aboveground resources within the APE for indirect effects that were identified during background research and by the NWGRC. For the purposes of this study, we considered previously recorded structures within the APE eligible for the NRHP. Field survey also identified two Multiple Resource Areas (MRAs) that contain concentrations of resources of the same style and time period in a geographical area.
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