Cultural Resource Studies at the Rocky Mountain Project, Floyd County, Georgia

This document synthesizes the results of the various cultural resource studies conducted at the site of the Rocky Mountain Hydroelectric Project in Floyd County, Georgia, between 1972 and 1993. Together, they have revealed something of the prehistoric and historic culture of Texas Valley and Rocky Mountain.

The earliest known use of the area came during the Late Paleoindian period. Texas Valley appears to have been heavily used by hunters and/ or people gathering forest products during the Early Archaic, but was much more lightly used in the Middle Archaic.

All parts of Texas Valley and the top of Rocky Mountain were used in the Late Archaic, and a substantial Late Archaic settlement was found at Locus D of site 9FL148. That site, representing a house or hamlet, also was occupied in the Early Woodland and perhaps the Middle Woodland. The project area was very lightly used in the Late Woodland and may not have been used at all during the Mississippian period. Texas Valley and Rocky Mountain were probably isolated from the mainstream of prehistoric life in all periods.

The overwhelming majority of the historic sites in the area proved to be domestic sites. These domestic sites spanned the period from the second third of the nineteenth century to shortly after World War II. Also investigated were two mills on Heath Creek, a whiskey still, and a fishing club that offered insights into the diversity of historic sites at the Rocky Mountain Project.

The 14 historic architectural properties in the project area illustrate the social and economic forces at work over nearly a 100-year period. The presence of schools and stores, in addition to dwellings and agricultural buildings, demonstrates the vitality of community life and exemplifies the self-sufficient nature of the area. The fact that the area contained both large agricultural complexes, such as the Fouche/Hardy Farm, and more modest farmsteads indicates a distribution of both wealth and production that together helped to insure the economic health of the valley.

The structures within the 14 properties illustrate that the area closely mirrored statewide and regional architectural trends and developments. From the dogtrot dwelling at the Reed/Milam Property to the double pen dwelling at Site No. 31, the structures investigated for the Rocky Mountain Project show a continual progression of development over time and an incorporation of recognized styles, designs, and materials to suit local needs and individual tastes.