Phase I Archaeological Survey of South Lumpkin Trail Road Bridge over Victory Drive, Muscogee County, Georgia

Edwards‑Pitman Environmental, Inc. (EPEI) conducted a Phase I archaeological survey for the proposed South Lumpkin Trail Bridge over Victory Drive in Muscogee County, Georgia (Georgia Department of Transportation [GDOT] Project No. CHSPP‑0007‑00(633), P.I. No. 0007633, GP No.141022‑002) between December 29 and December 30, 2014. The work was completed under a contract with Heath and Lineback Engineers, Inc., of Marietta, Georgia. The proposed project would construct a grade separated pedestrian crossing involving a prefabricated steel truss bridge, retaining walls, and portion of approach trail that connects on both sides across Victory Drive, north of its intersection with Shelby Street in Columbus, Georgia. The survey area is defined as all investigated areas, including the area of potential effect (APE) and a 100 foot (30 meter) buffer of expanded survey corridor (ESC). The APE corresponds to all existing right‑of‑way (ROW), limits of construction, easements, and modifications based on the original concept design. The ESC was created using GIS to expand the survey area to allow for flexibility in the event of changes to the original project design. Archaeological survey was conducted in order to locate and evaluate archaeological resources within the survey area, and this report presents a record of the investigation.

A review of information in the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) prior to fieldwork revealed that no previously recorded sites are present within the survey area, or within a 1‑kilometer radius of the survey area. Systematic shovel testing and pedestrian survey resulted in the identification of one new archaeological site, 9ME1403, located in the southernmost extent of the survey area. At 9ME1403, a historic twentieth century artifact scatter was investigated. Additionally, a historic Isolated Find (IF) 1 was recorded during survey in the northern portion of the survey area. Survey results were negative elsewhere within the proposed survey corridor. The Phase I archaeological survey included the evaluation of the information potential and integrity of 9ME1403 as it relates to eligibility under Criterion D for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Site 9ME1403 was encountered adjacent to the former location of the Fort Benning Railroad, which has been removed in recent years south of Victory Drive. As such, poor preservation conditions caused by the removal of the railroad tracks, and the construction of a parking lot adjacent to the site have compromised site integrity and limited its ability to yield significant information. The archaeological context of 9ME1403 is so disturbed by modern activities that it is likely that the artifacts encountered there were redeposited during the removal of the railroad tracks. Due to the limits of the survey area, the site was not fully delineated, and so the overall eligibility of 9ME1403 is unknown. However, the research potential for the portions of the site that were investigated is low, and 9ME1403 lacks integrity due to excessive disturbances to the site within the recent past.