Phase I Cultural Resources Survey for the Proposed Bethlehem Substation, Barrow County, Georgia.

On March 8 and 9, 2018, Brockington and Associates, Inc. (Brockington) completed a Phase I cultural resources survey for the proposed Bethlehem Substation located in Barrow County, Georgia (Figures 1 and 2). The project area is 10.5 acres, located east of Arch Tanner Road, located to the west of Bethlehem, Georgia. This survey was carried out as due diligence to identify and evaluate cultural resources for the Georgia Power Company. Though this a due diligence project, all activities described herein have been carried out in accordance with the stipulations of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (per 36 CFR Part 800, as amended through 2016) and by personnel qualified under 36 CFR Part 61. This project included a literature review and archaeological field investigations conducted to determine if the proposed project will impact cultural resources that are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This letter report includes a description of our methods, the results of our background research and survey, and our recommendations for the proposed project.

Appendices A (Architectural Resources), B (Artifact Catalog), and C (Site Form) follow this report. The archaeological Area of Potential Effects (APE) for archaeological resources is defined as the 10.5-acre project area, while the APE for architectural resources is considered the project area and all resources within a quarter-mile of the project boundary. Background research was conducted through Georgia’s Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources GIS (GNAHRGIS) online to determine if previously recorded cultural resources are located within the project area or a half-mile buffer surrounding the project area. Our research revealed no previously recorded cultural resources within the project area or the half-mile research buffer. In addition, no cultural resources surveys have been previously conducted within this research area. The proposed substation property is located within the rolling hills of the Georgia Piedmont uplands. The western half of the project area contains mixed hardwoods and pines with a light to moderate understory of bushes and vines (Figure 3), as well as a small pond. A house was once located near the center of the western portion of the tract, which is open and grassy (Figure 4). The home has been demolished and replaced with a trailer that houses the 107.1 FM (WJBB) radio station. The eastern half of the project area is dominated by pasture, with woods on the far eastern boundary. Three types of Cecil sandy loam have been mapped within the project tract, including Cecil sandy loam of 2 to 6 percent slopes (CeB), Cecil sandy loam of 2 to 6 percent slopes, eroded (CfC2), and Cecil sandy loam 6 to 10 percent slopes (CeC) (United States Department of Agriculture [USDA] 2018) (see Figure 2). Cecil soils are well-drained, upland soils that form on broad plateaus, ridgetops, and hillsides (Brock 1977:9). The eroded soils are expected to contain subsoils near or at the surface, but the Cecil sandy loams of 2 to 6 and 6 to 10 percent slopes are deeper. A typical soil profile will contain an Ap horizon of sandy loam from the surface to about 20 centimeters, underlain by a Bt horizon of sandy clay. During the field investigations, Brockington’s archaeologist conducted a combination of shovel test and pedestrian survey (surface inspection). Field methods consisted of the hand excavation of 30-cm wide shovel tests placed along transects spaced at 30-m intervals within the project area. All soil from shovel tests was screened with one-quarter-inch mesh hardware cloth for the recovery of archaeological materials. The shovel tests were excavated to a minimum of 10 cm into sterile soil. A total of 58 shovel tests were anticipated within the 10.5-acre project area (Figure 5). Brockington personnel also inspected and documented all resources meeting the 50-year age guidelines for inclusion in the NRHP within the architectural APE. All potential resources were photographed with a six megapixel (or greater resolution) digital camera, and notes were made as to the design, character-defining features, and any other architecturally significant components. We obtained historical information about all potential resources from tax assessor’s records, historic aerials, and property owners when available. We identified one archaeological site within the archaeological APE and 13 architectural resources as a result of this survey (Figure 6). These resources are described and evaluated below.