Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed Jigger Creek Project, Murray County, Georgia

Southern Research, Historic Preservation Consultants, Inc. has completed a cultural resources survey of the proposed 1,576.5-acre Jigger Creek Project, Conasauga Ranger District, Chattahoochee National Forest, Murray County, Georgia. The goal of this cultural resources survey was to identify all potentially significant archaeological and historical resources within the project area and to evaluate the eligibility of the identified resources for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

Fieldwork for this project was conducted from 10 December 2018 to 20 June 2019. The field crew consisted of Gretchen Eggiman (Principal Investigator), Drew Antonisse, Obadiah Brooks, Michael Stenland, Elizabeth Williamson, and Matthew Wood. Laboratory analysis, sorting, curation, etc. were performed by Misty Dunn (lab manager) and Susanne Newberry. We revisited six previously recorded sites (9MU61, 9MU65, 9MU66, 9MU67, 9MU111, and 9MU114). We identified fourteen new sites (9MU239 through 9MU252) and identified one isolated find (IF958-9) (See Tables 1 and 2). It should be noted that during the current investigation, sites 9MU65 and 9MU66 were combined due to close proximity to each other, and site 9MU114 was found to be outside the survey area. Therefore, the total number of sites investigated is 18. Additionally, there are no historic structures in or adjacent to the area of potential effect (APE).

Final analysis results suggest that five sites are recommended to Undetermined for listing on the NRHP: 1) previously recorded site 9MU61, 2) previously recorded site(s) 9MU65, 3) newly recorded site 9MU239, 4) newly recorded site 9MU243, and 5) newly recorded site 9MU250. The remaining fifteen sites are not recommended eligible for listing on the NRHP.