Phase I Archaeological Survey for the I-985 @ CS 991/ Elachee Road Bridge # 139-0055-0, Hall County, Georgia.

The project proposes to replace the structurally deficient bridge that carries Elachee Drive over 1-985 northbound and southbound and is located between the city of Gainesville and the town of Oakwood. Existing Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Bridge No. 139-0055-0 was constructed in 1967 and consists of four (4) spans of continuous steel beams. The bridge has a low sufficiency rating of 42.4 and serves as the sole point of access for the Elachee Nature Science Center. The existing two-lane bridge Is 300 feet long with a total bridge deck width of 30.4 feet. The proposed bridge will be 320 feet long, consisting of two 11-foot lanes, 4-foot bike lanes, 2-foot gutters and 5.5-foot sidewalks on both sides. The total bridge deck width will be 47.42 feet. The existing right-of-way (ROW) width on Elachee Drive is 100-170 feet and the proposed width is 100-180 feet. The project is in the early stages of development and the amount of required ROW and easement necessary for implementation of the project is unknown at this time. road deposits. Due to the recent disturbance of this multicomponent site, it is considered ineligible for the NRHP.

• 9CW324 was originally identified by SAS (Pluckhahn 2003) as an isolated quartz artifact on the surface of a tree fall. During additional shovel testing, four pieces of quartz debitage were identified around this location. However due to the limited size (100 square [sq] meters [1,076 sq ft]) and density of this site, it is considered ineligible for the NRHP.

• 9CW327 was originally identified by SAS (Pluckhahn 2003) as a scatter of stone with historic vegetation and a single whiteware sherd at an area identified as a house site on historic maps. Additional testing by Brockington identified loose brick, historic ceramics and glass in an area recendy disturbed by trail improvements. This site has been severely impacted by the use of the logging road and is ineligible for the NRHP.

• 9CW328 was identified as a house site based on historic map research (Pluckhahn 2003). Although this area has been recently cleared and is now obscured by several large brush piles, a scatter of historic artifacts and a collapsed well were identified " at the site. However, recent impacts to this site make it ineligible for the NRHP.

• 9CW329, first identified as a house site based on historic map research (Pluckhahn 2003), is the scattered stone foundation and chimney of a small home site, approximately 20x20 m (66x66 ft) in size. A few scattered historic artifacts and pieces of corrugated metal roofing were found near the foundation. Due to the poor conditions of the structural remains and lack of intact cultural deposits, this site is considered ineligible for the NRHP.

• 9CW331 was originally identified by SAS (Pluckhahn 2003) as a house site containing chimney remains, an open well and historic vegetation. The site was re-located on a hilltop clearing along an unmaintained access road. In addition to the well, a scatter of historic materials as well as modern trash was identified in the locus. However, in the absence of structural remains and the recent date of most of the artifactual finds, this site is considered ineligible for the NRHP.

• 9CW332 was originally identified by SAS (Piuckhahn 2003) as a house site containing chimney remains, near the location of the prehistoric scatter at Site 9CW101. During the current site revisit, a few possible building stones were noted on the surface and pieces of a porcelain doll were collected This site has been recently impacted by trail construction and timbering and is considered ineligible for the NRHP.

• 9CW325, 9CW326, and 9CW330 were identified by SAS (Pluckhahn 2003) as small scatters of quartz lithics on the surface of a logging road. Brockington collected a few additional pieces of debitage during the site revisits; however, no material was collected from any undisturbed deposits. Due to the disturbed nature of these sites, they are ineligible for the NRHP. In the course of the Phase 1 survey, Brockington also re-located and assessed five SAS field sites (Pluckhahn 2003) which failed the accepted criteria (Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists [GCPA] 2003) to be registered as individual archaeological sites:

• FS-26 was identified as a single metavolcanic tool found on the surface of the Georgia Power transmission line corridor. Additional testing produced no other artifacts in this area, and the locus is considered an ineligible, isolated find.

• FS-44 was identified as a single quartz lithic and a possible pottery sherd located approximately 60m (200 ft) north of Bud Davis Road; no additional artifacts were identified by Brockington. As only one definite artifact was identified by SAS (Pluckhahn 2003) FS-44 is considered an ineligible, isolated find at best and thus not registered by Brockington with then GASF.

• FS-59 was identified as a 4x0.5 m (13xl.6 ft) pit feature (1.5 m (5 ft] deep) thought to be a feature related to mineral prospecting when identified by SAS (Pluckhahn 2003). During the site inspection and subsurface survey, this feature was not identified, nor was any other cultural material found in this area, although the site could have been obscured by recent logging activities.

• FS-76 was identified less than 30m (100ft) west of the coordinates for Site 9CW100, and was determined to be part of this known multicomponent site. No prehistoric materials, however, were identified during the site revisit. This ineligible house site was found to contain the remains of a razed house and filled in well as well as a scatter of historic debris that has been bulldozed into small berms.

• FS-78 was originally identified by SAS (Pluckhahn 2003) as a possible outbuilding site containing stone pier remains, located approximately 60 m (200 ft) north of the historic ceramic scatter at Site 9CW102. During the current site revisit, no evidence of a historic archaeological site was identified and this locus was not registered with GASF. In addition, Brockington identified four new prehistoric sites (9CW333 through 336) and nine isolated artifact finds (IF#1 through IF#9). Newly identified sites include:

• 9CW333 is a lithic scatter located on a small terrace above a wetland near the south-central project area boundary. Subsurface lithic debitage was collected from two shovel tests 20m (66ft) apart. Given the small density of this non-diagnostic scatter, it is considered ineligible for the NRHP.

• 9CW334 is a scatter of prehistoric lithics collected from a 50 m (164ft) stretch of the park access road. While several bifacial quartz tools and a possible quartzite hammerstone were identified, all artifacts were found in disturbed contexts along the side of the road and not in situ within intact cultural deposits; this site is ineligible for the NRHP.

• 9CW335 is a small pottery scatter located on a small terrace above a drainage near its confluence with the Chattahoochee River. Prehistoric ceramics were collected from two shovel tests 20m (66ft) apart. Given the small density of this scatter, the site is considered ineligible for the NRHP.

• 9CW336 is a 70x55 m (230x180 ft) scatter of prehistoric pottery and lithics located on a terrace above the Chattahoochee River. The boundaries of the site are partially marked by an old property line.

To the north and east of this boundary, the area has been logged and replaced with planted pines. This disturbance has likely truncated the site. However, the presence of likely Middle Woodland period artifacts from intact subsurface deposits within the undisturbed portion of the site indicates this site as of entirely. Isolated finds were largely prehistoric lithics, both debitage and tools; however, small prehistoric (IF#7; IF#9) and historic (IF#6) pottery finds were also included. These finds were located largely on the surface of exposed subsoils or disturbed contexts. Additional shovel testing at these locations failed to produce more cultural materials and these isolated finds are all considered ineligible for the NRHP. In conclusion, Brockington has identified and registered 16 archaeological sites with the GASF; fourteen additional loci are isolated cultural finds and/ or SAS field sites that lack confirmation in the field. Brockington has also re-located and re-assessed 16 previously identified archaeological sites within or just outside the current project area. Of these, only the historic ceramic scatter located at Site 9CW100 could be re-identified; all the other 15 sites are presumed destroyed by the construction of the utility line and associated access roads. Of the 46 cultural resources identified within or very near the initial facilities area of Chattahoochee Bend State Park, only Site 9CW336 is considered potentially eligible for the NRHP. Most site locations, as were most of the landforms within the 500-ac project area, were found to have been heavily impacted by erosion and disturbances caused by timbering, trail improvements and the construction of the Wansley-Yates transmission line. Brockington recommends that impacts to Site 9CW336 be avoided in future undertakings pending a Phase II evaluation of the site to determine its eligibility for the NRHP. Given the depletion of and disturbance to the soil column throughout the project area, additional undiscovered cultural resources that are intact and eligible for the NRHP are not likely to exist within the project area. Outside of recommendations regarding Site 9CW336, Brockington recommends that development of this 500-ac tract proceed without further cultural resources investigations.