Phase I Survey and Archaeological Testing of the Bridge Replacement at SR 216 over Ichawaynochaway Creek

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) proposes to replace the bridge on SR 216 over Ichawaynochaway Creek in Baker County. The bridge replacement (CSBRG-0007 00(154), PI. No. 0007154, HP No. 110725-002) has undergone three concept design changes during project planning. The 2011 bridge replacement concept featured a new road alignment and intersection improvements along SR 216 from Heard Road to Milford Church Road. Phase I terrestrial survey and underwater survey of the 2011 concept resulted in the identification of six archaeological sites. The 2012 concept design was substantially smaller and centered on the existing bridge=s footprint. Archaeological examination of the 2012 area of potential effect (APE) involved Phase I survey and Phase II testing of the Milford Mill site (9BX203). The concept design was expanded in 2014 to include additional right-of-way (ROW) west of Heard Road. Phase I survey of the 2014 concept design resulted in the revisiting and metal detector survey of 9BX158 and excavation of close interval shovel tests west of 9BX203. All investigations were conducted in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (36 CFR 800) and were intended to determine the presence of significant archaeological resources in the project=s APE and an expanded survey corridor (ESC) oriented 30.5 meters (100 ft.) outside the APE boundary. An Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) letter will be provided to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) for all sites that have an unknown eligibility within the 2014 concept design APE/ESC.

In July 2011, New South Associates conducted the first Phase I survey at Ichawaynochaway Creek. The project concept design described the APE as consisting of 1.35 kilometers (4,430 ft.) of required ROW along SR 216 and the intersecting roads of CR 126 (Heard Road) and Milford Church Road. The section of APE north of SR 216 totaled 830.6 meters (2,725 ft.) in length and consisted of a new road alignment and expanded the ROW south of the highway to accommodate intersection improvements at Milford Church Road. The bridge associated with the proposed new road alignment would be located approximately 21.3 meters (70 ft.) north of its current position along Ichawaynochaway Creek. This expanded ROW to the south of SR 216 at the intersection with Milford Church Road was 18.3 meters (60 ft.) from the current centerline. The section of the APE that was centered on Heard Road extended south from SR 216 for 114.3 meters (375 ft.) and was 38.1 meters (125 ft.) wide. Milford Church Road featured a section of APE that stretched 121.9 meters (400 ft.) north from the intersection with SR 216. It was centered on the road and was 33.5 meters (110 ft.) wide. Phase I examination of the project area involved shovel test excavation along the APE and ESC. Pedestrian survey of the APE and ESC required the excavation of 143 shovel tests. Five archaeological sites were located within the surveyed area. These five sites (9BX157, 9BX158, 9BX159, 9BX160, and 9BX161) were located within the 2011 APE. A sixth site (9BX203), consisting of the ruins of a mill dam, was not examined as part of the 2011 terrestrial survey as it was located south of the proposed new alignment of the road and bridge, which was located outside of the 2011 ESC.

While all the identified sites= extents were not fully investigated during the study, the portions located within the APE and ESC that were examined did not contribute to the sites= potential eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criterion D. Sites 9BX158, 9BX159, and 9BX160, which dated to the early and mid-twentieth century, were first identified during the 2011 survey. These three historic sites featured a low potential for providing archaeological data significant to understanding the historic period in Milford. Site 9BX157, which was located on the north and west of the bridge, consisted of an assemblage of precontact lithic debitage and ceramic fragments. Though impacted by prior development of the road on its southern margins, artifacts were recovered from intact, relatively deep, deposits well north of the road, suggesting site integrity. However, no features were observed in excavated shovel tests, and no diagnostic artifacts were recovered. Site 9BX161 was located in the historic heart of Milford. The collected artifact assemblage featured ceramics from the early nineteenth century. This site=s extent and potential eligibility is unknown.

The current bridge replacement project intersects 9BX158 and 9BX203, and these sites were subjected to additional study. While portions of sites 9BX157 and 9BX159 fall within the current ESC, the 2011 recommendation concerning these areas remains unchanged. Sites 9BX160 and 9BX161 fall outside the current concept design ESC.

In addition to the 2011 terrestrial survey of the APE and ESC, an underwater archaeological survey was conducted at that time on a stretch of Ichawaynochaway Creek north from the mill dam ruins (9BX203) to a point 30.5 meters (100 ft.) north of the current bridge, totaling approximately 86.87 meters (285 ft.). No evidence of mill activity was noted north of the existing bridge. Some precontact lithic material was collected in the wash of the milldam south of bridge, but these deposits were likely deposited through runoff and not a specific precontact cultural activity. These artifacts were not collected. The only historic activity evident was the milldam remains located in the current ESC. Underwater examination revealed the submerged timbers were in situ despite the breach in the rocks on the surface. No other historic period artifacts were recovered from an underwater context.

In 2012, a new concept design was released that would replace the bridge in its current location, and this new design called for an expanded ROW, but no new alignment. Therefore, a second Phase I survey was completed in 2012 that focused on a revised APE and ESC. The southern margins of 9BX157 were located within this new ESC, and shovel testing at 9BX203 revealed archaeological deposits within the new APE. Deposits associated with 9BX157 were identified 15.2 meters (50 ft.) outside the 2012 APE, and the southern margin of the site contained a mix of precontact and historic material. Therefore, it is unlikely that the 2012 concept design would have impacted intact portions of the site, and no additional research was conducted at 9BX157. Phase II testing was conducted at 9BX203 to determine the potential NRHP eligibility of the site area within the 2012 alignment.

The 2012 project APE consisted of a corridor 249.9 meters (820 ft.) long that was centered on SR 216, and required ROW that ranged from 36.6-48.8 meters (120-160 ft.) wide. While the portion of APE located north of SR 216 was previously examined during the 2011 study, the southern section as not. Therefore, the portion of the APE south of the bridge was examined with a Phase I shovel test survey; in addition to the Phase II testing of 9BX203 to further ascertain the site=s extent and integrity within the 2012 APE and ESC.

While the 2012 Phase I survey did not identify any new sites, the boundaries of 9BX203 were better defined. Originally, the site was limited to the dam remains and timbers that were visible within the diversion channel, but the 2012 survey recovered historic and precontact materials west of the creek. Eighteen shovel test locations were examined in order to delineate the site within the project area. Four of these tests were positive for subsurface cultural deposits. Additionally, precontact and historic artifacts were scattered on the surface in the center of the site along a power line corridor. Based on these results, the portion of the site located within the ESC measured at least 135 meters (443 ft.) long and 30.5 meters (100 ft.) wide.

Following the Phase I survey, Phase II testing of 9BX203 was carried out to determine whether intact terrestrial archaeological remains were present. Testing began with metal detecting along the west bank of the creek in order to identify potential remains of the mill. All metal targets that were identified were probed with a steel tipped metal probe to ascertain if intact architectural features were present. Numerous metal targets were encountered with many consisting of modern trash; cut nails were also recovered. Probing did not reveal buried architectural features. Metal targets were considered modern except for the ones where cut nails were identified.

Two 1x1-meter (3.2x3.2-ft.) test units were used to investigate the integrity of site 9BX203. Test Unit 1 was situated near the west bank of the creek along the ESC transect. It was placed near the visible mill remains and in an area of several identified metal targets. Test Unit 1 revealed adisturbed soil stratigraphy and mixed historic, precontact, and modern deposits. One potential wooden timber was identified at 48.7 centimeters (1.6 ft.) below ground surface but further excavation revealed modern trash below the wood. Discussions with the landowners indicated that the previous owner heavily modified the land with earth moving equipment, which likely caused the disturbance visible in Test Unit 1. Test Unit 2 was placed in the APE near a shovel test that revealed a burned soil layer. Precontact and historic deposits were recovered from the unit. The soil profile contained thinly deposited layers of sediment up to 0.79 meters (2.6 ft.), suggesting that most of the artifacts present were deposited by creek flooding and disturbed by recent earthmoving activities.

Site 9BX203 is a historic mill site with precontact deposits. Historic research failed to indicate the specific date of the mill, its owners, or its function, although it was likely a grist mill that may date to the early history of Milford, which was established in 1825. The mill has been heavily disturbed by fire, flooding, and modern land alteration, which makes it difficult, if not impossible, to determine its structure, landscape, and components. The rock portion of the milldam is visible above water. Though timbers of the dam structure appear to be preserved in place below the water=s surface, it is not possible to say with certainty what type of dam was present historically. The presence of wood timbers with the stone could indicate a hollow-frame construction with the stone as ballast. Frequent flooding episodes has reduced the likely complex, engineered landscape feature to a skeletonized ruin. These remains lack integrity to provide significant information concerning the mill=s historic operation, other than marking its location on the creek.

Excavations at 9BX203 indicated that the portion of the site within the APE has been heavily disturbed and that no evidence of the mill itself remains; while cut nails were recovered, these were from disturbed contexts. The information collected on site 9BX203 as part of the 2012 Phase I and Phase II studies indicated that the portions of the site within the APE and ESC does not contribute to any eligibility that the site might have under Criteria A, B, C, or D. While the remains of the milldam have some in situ components and the stones and timbers mark the location of the former mill, it has been impacted by fire and successive flooding events. The components that remain do not have the potential to yield important information significant to Milford=s past. With the exception of the dam remains, these fire and flooding events severely impacted the integrity and research potential of terrestrial features, virtually erasing them from the landscape. Additionally, earth-moving activities during the twentieth century further degraded the integrity of potential subsurface deposits on the landform where the mill was located. Due to the poor integrity at the site and absence of intact archaeological deposits, further archaeological study is unlikely to provide significant information that is relevant to milling complexes of that time period or location. Historical research pertaining to Milford Mill indicated that the site is not associated with significant events or persons, and thus it is not eligible under Criteria A or B (Ciomek 2011). For further information on milling and determining eligibility, please see Botwick and Joseph (2009), Joseph et al. (2004), and Crane (1998).

The proposed 2014 concept design consists of replacing the bridge on SR 216 at Ichawaynochaway Creek and building an overflow bridge to the west of the mainline bridge on SR 216. The project would also change an existing curve between the two bridges from a spiral curve to a circular curve. Due to the overflow bridge being located in the circular curve, the width of the bridge would be increased to 36 feet and the extra widening would also be applied to the main bridge. The width of the typical roadway section would remain the same as it is currently. The project length would be approximately 0.75 mile, and the required ROW area would be approximately 5.99 acres.

A Phase I Archaeological Survey was conducted on the portions of the 2014 concept design APE that were not covered by the previous research. The survey area included APE and ESC along SR 216 west of Heard Road, and the survey intersected two identified sites 9BX203 and 9BX158. Close-interval (15-m) shovel testing was conducted on the western edges of both sites and produced no artifact finds. Additionally, 9BX158 was subjected to a metal detector survey, and a 50x50-centimeter (1.6x1.6-ft.) unit was excavated alongside a surface masonry feature documented during initial site survey in 2011.

Site 9BX158 was first identified as a sparse historic period artifact scatter including a cologne bottle, amethyst glass, nails, and a single prehistoric chert thinning flake. The metal detector survey was conducted along two transects congruent with the initial survey of the site. A total of 135 metal targets were mapped, and 43 targets were excavated. Due to the concentration of metal identified on Transect A, a 10-percent sample of targets were excavated, while all targets were investigated on Transect B. The metal detector target excavation and the excavation of a 50x50-centimeter unit revealed that artifacts that were associated with 9BX158 were found solely in the plow zone and date to the twentieth century. The distribution of architecturally associated artifacts do not present a discernable pattern that suggests the presence of a building or structure, and historic aerials do not indicate the presence of a building or structure on the site after 1938. The disarticulated nature of the brick and fragmented nature surrounding the artifact finds suggests that the area was used as a place of discard over time. The site is recommended not eligible, and no additional archaeological examination is needed for the 9BX158.