Phase I Cultural Resources Survey and Assessment of Effects for the Proposed Garden City Terminal Backlands Improvements, Chatham County, Georgia 

Between January 3 and 11, 2020, Brockington and Associates, Inc. (Brockington) conducted an intensive Phase I cultural resources survey and Assessment of Effects (AOE) for the proposed 479-acre Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) Garden City Terminal (GCT) Backlands Improvements in Chatham County, Georgia. The proposed project consists of improvements to the existing infrastructure and transportation, improvements/expansion of Gate 4, removal or relocation of existing buildings/facilities, and expansion of the container yards. This investigation was carried out on behalf of Moffat & Nichol for GPA in partial fulfillment of guidelines established for Section 404 of the Clean Water Act permit. This survey was requested in order to comply with state and federal laws and regulations concerning the management of historic properties affected by development activities. Background research and cultural resources survey were used to identify potentially significant resources within the project’s Area of Potential Effects (APE). Background research identified six previously recorded archaeological sites and 12 previously recorded historic resources located within the APE for the proposed project. Archaeological Site 9CH877, the Pipemakers Canal, was also recorded as a linear historic resource (Property 1). The locations of Sites 9CH792, 9CH793, 9CH794, 9CH878, and 9CH1390 were revisited for this investigation. Of the 12 previously recorded historic resources, two (Georgia’s Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources Geographic Information System [GNAHRGIS] #5819 and 5821) have since been demolished and were not further considered. One of these resources, the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (GNAHRGIS #5812), is now considered to be part of a single resource, Property 5, the Garden City Historic District. The other nine historic resources were re-visited during the current project. These included the Pipemakers Canal (Property 1), 21 Main Street (Property 2), 33-35 Main Street (Property 3), the Harris House (Property 4), the Garden City Residential Historic District (Property 5), the Savannah & Atlanta Railroad (Property 7), SR 25/US 17 Atlantic Coastal Highway (Property 8), Avenue of Live Oaks (GNAHRGIS #5882), and the Fairlawn Cemetery (GNAHRGIS #5892). Background research also identified an additional nine previously recorded archaeological sites and six previously recorded historic resources located outside of the project APE but within a onekm (0.6- mile) radius. These additional previously recorded resources are not located within an area of direct or indirect effects for the proposed project. The current cultural resources survey consisted of both an archaeological and a historic resources field investigation. The majority of the project tract (approximately 397 acres), has been previously surveyed through a number of investigations; only a total of 82 acres within the project tract have not been previously surveyed for cultural resources. Phase I archaeological resources survey was conducted within the previously unsurveyed 82-acres within the APE. No new archaeological or historic resources were identified during our investigation within those 82 acres. We conducted site revisits and an AOE for each of the eligible archaeological sites and historic resources within the APE of the project tract. The resources examined for an AOE include is include Site 9CH793/Fairlawn Slave Quarters, Property 3/Shurling Tourist Cottages, Property 4/Harris House, Property 5/Main Street Residential Historic District, Property 7/Savannah & Atlantic Railway Corridor, Property 8/SR 25, Resource 5882/Avenue of Live Oaks, and Resource 5892/Fairlawn Cemetery. Resource 1/Pipemakers Canal was omitted from an AOE since the segment of this resource within the project tract has lost its integrity under Criterion C, and the adverse effects of the previous canal improvement projects have been mitigated. Based on the current concept design for the project and the current conditions of the eligible resources, we find that the proposed improvements to the GCT will have no adverse effect to any of the previously recorded eligible resources. No further management of these resources with regards to this specific undertaking is recommended.