Phase I Archaeological and Historic Resources Survey in Advance of the Forrester Parkway and Westover Boulevard Extension, Lee County, Georgia

This report summarizes the findings of a Phase I archaeological and historic resources investigation that was completed in advance of proposed construction of the Forrester Parkway and Westover Boulevard extensions, in southern Lee County, Georgia (Figure 1). The Forrester Parkway Extension will consist of approximately 2.21 miles of two-lane ditch section roadway, beginning at an existing roundabout on Oakland Parkway (Figure 2). The extension will extend to the east where it will intersect with the Westover Boulevard extension, which will be .9 mile section of two-lane ditch section roadway. The purpose of this road construction is to enhance public safety by mitigating traffic incidents, improving emergency response times, providing alternate transportation routes, improving the flow of traffic, and encouraging economic development. Existing development and planned future development that will result in increased traffic volume have made this project a priority.

Fieldwork for this cultural resources survey was completed by Cardno archaeologists and historians from May 1 through May 4, 2018. The purpose of the investigation was to locate, identify, and evaluate any archaeological properties in the Area of Potential Effect (APE) of the proposed undertaking. An APE is defined as “the geographic area or areas within which an undertaking may directly or indirectly cause changes in the character or use of historic properties, if any such properties exist” (36 CFR Part 800.16[d]). This study was conducted in compliance with the provisions and stipulations of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. § 470), the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. § 479), and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Historic properties, as defined by the NHPA, include archaeological sites, both prehistoric and historic, and architectural resources, such as buildings, structures, objects, sites, and districts. For this project, the proposed direct APE is defined as the maximum extent of all possible work associated with the proposed road construction.

The APE for the historic resources survey included the direct APE, which includes both the direct APE in addition to the entirety of the parcel upon which the site lies and everything within the viewshed of the direct APE.

No archaeological remains were discovered in the APE. One aboveground feature, the bed of the abandoned Seaboard Airline Railway, crosses the APE in two locations. No archaeological remains were detected in association with this feature. A survey for historic resources identified one residence, 280 C. Fussell Road, and an associated group of five outbuildings, as of historic age, neither of which were deemed eligible for the NRHP. Additionally, the abandoned Seaboard Airline Railway was evaluated, but was found to lack integrity. Based on the results of archaeological and historic resources survey, the proposed roadway construction will not adversely affect any cultural resources.

Fieldwork for this cultural resources survey was completed by Keener Smith and Jeff Turner and managed by Tom Lewis. Jeff turner provided Geographic Information Systems (GIS) services for all fieldwork and drafted all report maps. Kimberly Hinder conducted all historic research and wrote the results of the historic resources survey. Tom Lewis was the primary report author and Principal Investigator.

Following this introductory chapter is a review of the general environmental setting of the project area. This is followed in Chapter 3 by a summary of the cultural history of the region as well as a summary of historic land use of the project area and of previous archaeological research and known cultural resources. Chapter 4 contains a description of field and laboratory methods employed in the completion of this project. Results of Cardno’s field survey are detailed in Chapter 5, with the discussion divided between archaeological and historic resources. Lastly, Chapter 6 summarizes the findings of the cultural resources survey and offers Cardno’s management recommendations. Appendix A contains the curriculum vitae of the Principal Investigator.