An Archeological Survey of a Portion of U.S. 41/S.R. 3, Calhoun, Gordon County, Georgia GDOT Project No. STP-001-6(35) P.I. No. 621365

The Georgia Department of Transportation wishes to widen and rehabilitate the portion of U.S. Highway 41/ State Route 3 from just south of Union Grove Road northward to the intersection with State Route 53 on the southern outskirts of Calhoun, in central Gordon County. Total project length, including about a half mile of roadway along SR 53 east and west of US 41/SR3, is about 6.4 km (4.0 mi). The precise design of the widening has not been formulated, so the area of potential effect for our archeological survey was established as a corridor 61 m (200 ft) wide, centered on the existing highway. In April 2006, Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc. conducted an intensive, Phase I archeological survey of the area of potential effect to insure compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended). In January 2009, Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc. conducted an intensive, Phase I archeological survey of an additional segment of new right-of-way on the north side of SR 53. The new right-of-way is approximately 690 m (.42 mi) long, extending north from State Route 53 at its intersection with US 41/ SR 3, and then turning west and rejoining SR 53. The proposed new right-of-way corridor is approximately 61 m ( 200 ft) wide. Since there was very little surface exposure, survey relied primarily on shovel testing to locate and define sites. The primary goals of the survey were to determine if any archeological sites exist in the area of potential effect for the project (the proposed construction corridor), and if so, to determine whether they are significant in terms of eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places. Background research showed that four sites had been previously recorded in the project area, and that all four had been recommended as not eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Our surveys recorded six new sites, five late nineteenth to mid-twentieth century historic period house sites, two of which also had very sparse scatters of prehistoric lithic material, and one prehistoric lithic scatter. No diagnostic prehistoric artifacts and no Cherokee Indian artifacts were recovered. We recommend that five of the six sites we discovered are ineligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places because none are known to be associated with persons or events important in local history and none are likely to yield additional important information about the prehistory and history of the area. The boundaries of a sixth site (9GO288) could not be fully determined, so its eligibility status remains unknown. However, the portion within the area of potential effect does not contribute to the eligibility of the site. We concur with previous recommendation that the four previously recorded sites are not eligible for inclusion in the National Record of Historic Places.