DATA RECOVERY (PHASE III EXCAVATIONS) OF PORTIONS OF 9CE578, 9CE608 AND 9CE876 IN THE PROPOSED GOOD HOPE MANEUVER AREA FORT BENNING, GEORGIA PROJECT NUMBER 69668

Fort Benning Military Reservation proposes to construct a heavy maneuver area encompassing almost 8,600 acres for the training of armor soldiers for the restationing of the Armor School from Fort Knox, Kentucky to Fort Benning, Alabama and Georgia. Within this area that is tentatively named "The Good Hope Maneuver Area", there are five intensive maneuver areas (designated A through E) where Fort Benning hopes that the training will be as unencumbered as possible. Road construction and improvement will also be an aspect of this project. Each road will be contained within a 200 foot wide corridor. Within or intersected by Areas A through E and the proposed roads are 14 National Register eligible archaeological sites. This research design is prepared to address three of these sites (9CE578, 9CE608, and 9CE876) and the

mitigative efforts proposed (Figures I and 2). This research design, prepared by Panamerican Consultants,

Inc. (PCI), is proposed to mitigate the impacts of the construction activities to these three sites.

            Site 9CE578 consists of a multi-component Indian and non-Indian artifact scatter representing Terminal Archaic, possible Woodland, Mississippian, historic Creek, and late nineteenth/early twentieth-century non-Indian occupations. The site lies along a ridge spur and is bisected by a dirt road, which marks the boundary for Training Areas DD-0 I and DD-02 within the Fort Benning Military Reservation (see Figure l). Down slope from the ridge are intermittent drainages to both the east and west. Vegetation in this area consists primarily of young secondary growth as a result of past timber harvesting. In addition to road construction and timber harvesting, previous investigators also noted disturbances from military training activities. Based on results from the previous Phase I and Phase II studies (Maguire 1995; Canuth et al. 2008), Site 9CE578 is considered eligible for the RHP under Criterion D.

            Site 9CE608 consists of a moderate density Indian artifact scatter representing Early and Terminal

Archaic occupations as well as Early, Middle, and Late Woodland occupations. The site, located within Fort Benning Military Reservation, is situated in the west central portion of Training Area DD I lying along the edge of a bluff overlooking a low terrace and Sand Branch to the east (see Figure 1 ). The bluff is steep,

dropping roughly six meters down to the terrace. Vegetation in the area consists of a mature hardwood forest

interspersed with mature pines. The remnant of an old fire break was observed extending through the

southern and central portion of 9CE608. Other visible evidence of disturbance included push piles and erosional damage along portions of the bluff edge. In addition, the ground surface appeared somewhat rough

suggesting this location had been impacted by logging or other land clearing activities in the past. Based on results from the previous Phase I and Phase II studies (Maguire 1995; Carruth et al. 2008), Site 9CE608 is considered eligible for the NRHP under Criterion D.

            Site 9CE876 consists of a large multi-occupational site containing Early Archaic, Terminal Archaic,

Middle Woodland, Terminal Woodland Averett phase, Late Mississippian Lamar period, and historic Creek

Lawson Field phase components. The site, located within Fort Benning Military Reservation, lies in the

southwestern portion of Training Area B-4 (see Figure 2). Riverbend Road bisects the site, which is found

along a ridge finger, side slope, and the upper Hichitee Creek floodplain. An old logging road intersects

Riverbend Road on the sites southwestern end. The northern and central portions of9CE876 are vegetated by a stand of young pines with an old growth hardwood forest located to the south. All but the southern portion of the site has been impacted by past timber harvesting activities; however, the west-central and southwestern sections appeared relatively intact based on the presence of thick layers of topsoil recorded  during Phase II unit excavations. Based on results from the previous Phase I and Phase II studies (Hendryx

et al. 1997; Carruth et al. 2009), Site 9CE876 is considered eligible for the NRHP under Criterion D.