Phase I Cultural Resources Survey Thornton Road Development Tract Cobb and Douglas Counties, Georgia

In March and April 2018, R.S. Webb & Associates conducted a Phase I cultural resources survey of the proposed Thornton Road Development Tract in Cobb and Douglas Counties, Georgia. Due to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Clean Water Act permitting, compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (Public Law 89-665; 80 STAT.915; 16 U.S.C. 470) is required. The current project area is the location of a proposed commercial/warehouse development and covers approximately 90 acres in Cobb and Douglas Counties.

Under the NHPA, a cultural resources survey is conducted to determine if cultural resources eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) will be affected by the proposed project. Cultural resources within the project area were assessed for significance using the NRHP eligibility criteria set forth in 36 CFR Part 60.4. In addition, the cultural resources survey was conducted following guidelines set by the Georgia Council ofProfessional Archaeologists (GCPA) (2014) and the U.S. Secretary of the Interior (Federal Register 1983).

Literature and Records Search: Official files and maps of the Georgia Archeological Site File, University of Georgia in Athens were examined, followed by a review of the pertinent site forms and the Laboratory of Archaeology manuscript/report files. At the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Division (HPD) (Stockbridge), pertinent compliance document files, official maps, and NRHP files were reviewed, as well as the Cobb and Douglas Counties historic structures survey records. Georgia's Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources Geographical Information System (GNAHRGIS) was also used to confirm the presence or absence of relevant state-recognized historic resources in Cobb and Douglas Counties. Historic maps were examined at various online sources and aerial photographs were accessed through the Digital Library of Georgia and historicaerials.com. The Official Military Atlas of the Civil War (Davis etal.1983) was consulted for the locations of Civil War-era military actions or associated features.

Field Survey: The project area was surveyed using surface and subsurface techniques along survey transects to search for archeological and historic above-ground resources. Exposed surfaces within the project area were inspected for artifacts and surface features. Subsurface techniques included the excavation of 30-centimeter (cm)-diameter screened shovel tests to sterile subsoil. Shovel test profiles were inspected and soil data recorded. Shovel tests were not excavated in areas that have been severely disturbed, on slopes greater than 15 percent, or in drainageways. In other areas, survey shovel tests were excavated at 30-m intervals along transects spaced no more than 30m apart. Occasionally, shovel test intervals were decreased or advanced off-transect to sample diminutive landforms well suited for human use. On archeological sites, the shovel test interval was reduced to 15 m as needed to delineate site limits.

Given the significant modern industrial development in the project vicinity, the project Area of Potential Effects for direct and indirect impacts was set at the project boundary. On this basis, the project area and immediate viewshed were inspected for historic structures/features. When encountered, historic resources are photographed, plotted on the project map, and assessed for age, condition, and NRHP eligibility status.

Literature Review: GNAHRGIS and HPD records indicate that there are no NRHP-listed historic properties located within 1.6 km of the project area. There are 21 archeological sites recorded within 1.6 kilometers (km) of the project area, including two prehistoric artifact scatters (9DOI68 and 9DOI69) within the limits of the current survey boundaries. There are no previously recorded historic structures within 1.6 km of the study area.

Archeological Field Survey: One previously undocumented archeological site (9C0776), one isolated artifact find (Isolated Find I), and one isolated rock terrace (Isolated Rock Terrace I) were recorded during the current field survey. Two previously recorded archeological sites, 9DOI68 and 9DOI69, were revisited during the field survey. Site 9C0776 is an historic artifact scatter and prehistoric lithic isolate. Previously recorded site 9DOI68 was originally recorded as a prehistoric lithic and ceramic scatter and historic artifact scatter. No archeological materials associated with 9DO 168 were identified during the current revisit. Site 9DO169 was originally recorded as a Late Archaic lithic scatter. Three pieces of quartz debitage were identified during the current revisit, but no diagnostic artifacts were recovered. Isolated Find I consists of a single undecorated prehistoric ceramic sherd found during shovel testing. The isolated rock terrace appears to be a limited landscape feature constructed across a ravine head to check erosion, probably during the early 20th century. This resource has no clear association with structures or archeological deposits.

Historic Resources Field Survey: Eleven Ranch houses lie within the project area on the southwest side of Six Flags Road. Tax Assessor records indicate that these structures were built between 1959 and I967, with the majority being constructed in the earlier half of this span. Ranch types present include the Compact type and the Linear with Cluster type. House styles are either plain (no style) or Colonial Revival.

Present within the project viewshed is Turner's Store/Beaver Creek Biscuit Company located at the intersection of Six Flags Road and Factory Shoals Road. While a structure has been present at this location since the 1950s, it has been rebuilt or extensively remodeled and expanded since the 1980s.

Archeological Resources: The three archeological scatters and the isolated find recorded/revisited within the project area exhibit low artifact density and diversity, and lack the contextual clarity and depositional integrity for the retention of additional significant archeological information. The isolated rock terrace has been recorded and lacking association with archeological and/or historic resources, this feature warrants no further investigation. These five resources do not meet any NRHP eligibility criteria, especially Criterion (d) (archeology).

Historic Resources: Six of the 11 Ranch houses along Six Flags Road appear to be individually eligible for the NRHP. Two are of questionable NRHP eligibility and three appear to be ineligible for the NRHP. As a group, these homes were built with similar plans and within a relatively narrow window of time, and represent a pattern or trend in middle-20th-century home construction. On this basis, these resources may be eligible for the NRHP as an historic district under Criterion (a). The six structures viewed as individually eligible for the NRHP may also be important under Criterion (c) (architecture).

Due to extensive modifications, Turner's Store/Beaver Creek Biscuit Company is considered ineligible for the NRHP under all NRHP criteria.

Archeological Resources: Since they do not meet NRHP eligibility Criterion (d), the proposed project will have no effect on 9C0776, 9DO 168, 9DO 169, Isolated Find I, or Isolated Rock Terrace I. Historic Resources: If the group ofRanch houses along Six Flags Road are determined eligible for the NRHP (individually and/or as a district) by the USACE and HPD, the project, as proposed, would have an adverse effect on some or all of these properties. As a NRHP-ineligible resource, the project will have no effect on Turner's Store/Beaver Creek Biscuit Company.

Archeological Resources: No additional work is recommended for the five above-mentioned archeological resource. Historic Resources: If determined eligible for the NRHP by the USACE and HPD, then some form of mitigation may be required to extenuate project effects on the group of Ranch houses along Six Flags Road. Often, documentation per HPD's Photographic Archival Record standards is considered appropriate for properties such as the Ranch houses in the project area.

No further work is recommended for Turner's Store/Beaver Creek Biscuit Company.