Investigation of Possible Cemetery on U.S. 57, Twiggs County

The widening and reconstruction of S.R. 57 beginning at its intersection with U.S. 80 in Bibb County and continuing east through Jones and Twiggs Counties to the Twiggs/Wilkinson county line may impact a cemetery located in the project right-of-way. Since the existence and location of the cemetery has not been verified in the field, it is unclear how much impact the proposed widening would have on the cemetery. The possible existence of the cemetery was discovered after road construction had begun and as such redesigning the road to avoid the cemetery in accordance with FHWA and DOT policies would not be feasible. If graves are encountered, they would be relocated to an established cemetery. The following reinterment plan satisfies requirement (5) of Code Section 36-72-5, which calls for a "proposal for mitigation or avoidance of the effects of the planned activity on the cemetery or burial ground. If the proposal includes relocation of any human remains or burial objects, the proposal shall specify the method of disinterment, the location and method of disposition of the remains, the approximate cost of the process, and the approximate number of graves affected." This document presents an initial proposal for the relocation of the cemetery with the understanding that if descendants of the interred are located, their wishes will be taken into account before plans are finalized. Minimally invasive archaeological investigation by GDOT archaeologists was not effective in determining the location or number of graves in the cemetery. More invasive techniques will be required in order to verify the presence of graves. These may include the removal of topsoil in order to expose grave shaft stains. If grave shaft outlines are exposed, each grave shaft will be excavated by shovel until grave contents are encountered. Then, trowel and shovel will be used to expose any coffin hardware and/or human remains. The burial (s) will be drawn and photographed, and then removed into cardboard boxes. The soil in the bottom of the grave shaft will be screened through 0.25 inch mesh to recover any additional artifacts and/or human remains. Once all graves have been disinterred and backfilled, a descriptive analysis of the artifacts and/or human remains will be made. Coffin hardware and grave accouterments will be described and photographed. After analysis, all material related to each burial along with a metal tag inscribed with the name of the deceased, if known, or burial number will be placed in a wooden box measuring approximately 30x12x10 inches. The Department will, reinter each new coffin in a public cemetery or place selected by descendants. Headstones will be placed on graves of identified individuals and ground-level stone markers with grave numbers will mark the graves if identities are unknown.