Data Recovery Investigations at Sites 9GO375 and 9GO390, Gordon County, Georgia

Under contract with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), New South Associates, Inc. (New

South), conducted an archaeological data recovery excavation and laboratory analysis of two sites on the Center Point-Moss Lake No. 2 transmission line in Gordon County, Georgia (Figure 1). These sites (9G0375 and 9G0390) were previously identified and evaluated by Tennessee Valley Archaeological Research (TV AR) in 2016 (Meeks, Karpynec, et al. 20 16; Meeks, Little, et al. 2016). The level of effort was specified in a scope of work (SOW) from TV A and satisfies stipulations in a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) among TVA, the Georgia State Historic

Preservation Office (GASHPO), and federally recognized Native American tribes. The goals of this project were to mitigate the adverse effects of the proposed undertaking and recover sufficient data to address research questions outlined in the SOW. The information generated as a result of this project will be used to assist the TVA with planning and compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966.

Sites 9G0375 and 9G0390 were determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Both sites will be impacted by construction. Installation of transmission line pole structures would require the augering of two holes, approximately three to four feet in diameter, to a depth of 10-13 feet. The augering would adversely affect these sites due to the physical destruction of archaeological deposits. In addition, at 9G0390, one of the installed structures must be anchored by guy wires, which would require the installation of eight anchors within the site boundary. TV A typically uses log anchors, in which the anchor is attached to a 1 0-inch diameter, eight-foot log that is buried in a trench measuring approximately 8x1.5 feet, excavated to a depth of six feet. Construction of the transmission line will thus result in adverse effects to these sites due to clearing, land disturbance, and transmission pole construction. TV A agreed, in consultation, to mitigate these adverse effects at 9G0375 and 9G0390 through block excavations, machine stripping, flotation, column samples, geoarchaeological assessments, laboratory analysis, and technical reporting.

This management summary addresses the research questions posed for 9G0375 and 9G0390, methods used for the fieldwork and laboratory analysis, and the results of the fieldwork at 9G0375 and 9G0390. The results include the level of effort invested in each site by New South; initial feature descriptions; a summary of recovered artifacts; a preliminary assessment of the datasets and their strength in answering the research questions; and initial interpretations. Because data analysis is in the initial stages, all observations and interpretations in this document may be modified upon further analysis, in particular those dealing with temporal/cultural components, geological contexts, integrity of cultural deposits, and discussions about research questions.