Cultural Resources Survey of the “MORGANTON_HWY - A” Monopole Tower Telecommunication Facility, Morganton, Fannin County, Georgia Trileaf # 670763

In September 2020, Trileaf Corporation (Trileaf) performed a cultural resource inventory survey for a proposed monopole communications tower located in Fannin County, Morganton, Georgia (Latitude: 34° 52’ 0.91” N Longitude: 84° 14’ 18.06” W). The project location is located within a grass-covered and partially wooded area. Verizon Wireless proposes the construction of a new monopole cell tower with a total height of 199 feet (60.65 meters). The new tower and associated equipment will be situated within a proposed approximate 50 x 50-foot (2,500-square foot) cell tower lease area. A proposed approximate 30 x 85-foot (9.14 x 24.38 meter) access and utility easement will extend generally east away from the lease area towards Lake Cove Road. Total acreage of the new construction area is approximately 0.12 acres (0.05 Hectares).

Project Archaeologist II, Colin Bean, M.A, under the direction of Trileaf, performed this survey in response to the planned use of the above-described parcel and the potential impacts that such use might represent to archaeological and architectural cultural resources. The Phase I cultural resource survey was designed to discover all prehistoric and historical period cultural resources that might be present within the project area.

The field survey of the project area, which included a pedestrian survey, shovel testing, and visual inspection, found no evidence for the presence of archaeological or architectural properties in relation to the current project area’s Direct APE. Additionally, no National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)-listed or (NRHP)-eligible properties were identified within the project area’s Direct APE. Based on a map and survey form search using the resources of the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office including topographical maps and their GNAHRGIS GIS platform, inspections of the Georgia Archaeological Site Files (GASF 2020), as well as the resources of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) conducted by Colin Bean, Archaeologist II of the Trileaf Corporation, identified four (4) historical resources (30584, 30585, 30586, and 30592) with no prior determination of NRHP-eligibility located within the ½-mile visual APE, 32 archaeological sites (9FN3, 9FN58, 9FN59, 9FN60, 9FN165, 9FN166, 9FN168, 9FN169, 9FN170, 9FN171, 9FN172, 9FN173, 9FN174, 9FN175, 9FN179, 9FN180, 9FN181, 9FN182, 9FN183, 9FN184, 9FN186, 9FN187, 9FN190, 9FN191, 9FN192, 9FN193, 9FN194, 9FN200, 9FN201, 9FN476, 9FN478, and 9FN479), and four (4) archaeological surveys (599, 1296, 6071, and 11978) previously identified within Trileaf Corporation’s 1-mile background research radius for archaeology. A total of four (4) historic resources with no prior determination of eligibility were identified within the visual APE and were included for inclusivity. Based on these findings, Trileaf recommends No Historic Properties in the Direct APE and No Historic Properties within the ½-mile Visual APE. It is therefore recommended that project clearance be granted with no further investigation or evaluation of the project area relative to those resources.