Cultural Resources Survey of the McDonough Family Housing North Tract Development Henry County, Georgia

The survey was conducted in compliance with both state and federal guidelines, including Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 (54 USC 30010, as amended through 2016), the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s (ACHP) implementing regulations (36 CFR Part 800), Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation (1983), and archaeological survey and reporting guidelines set forth by the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists (2014) and Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) Historic Preservation Division (HPD) along with other pertinent state and federal guidelines.

The primary purpose of our investigation was to determine if the proposed project will impact cultural resources that are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The Archaeological Area of Potential Effects (APE) encompasses the legal property boundary in which all construction and ground disturbance will occur. Due to topography and existing vegetation in the project vicinity, the architectural APE includes a land parcel directly adjacent to the tract and within the viewshed. We conducted background archival research to determine if any cultural resources were previously recorded within one km (0.62 mile) of the project area and determined no archaeological sites or surveys had been conducted within the buffer zone or APE. In addition, no architectural resources were identified within one-quarter mile of the project area prior to field investigations.

Archaeological fieldwork consisted of pedestrian surface inspection and shovel testing along transects at 30-meter (m) intervals throughout the project tract. We identified two new archaeological resources (Sites 9HY584 and 9HY585). Site 9HY584 is the remnants of a historic house and recommended not eligible for the NRHP. Site 9HY585 is two agricultural berms and recommended not eligible for the NRHP.

Architectural fieldwork consisted of an intensive windshield survey and pedestrian inspection of all existing buildings and structures within adjacent parcels. Eight architectural resources were identified south of the parcel. Two are recommended eligible for inclusion to the NRHP (Resource MD-1 and MD-3). Due to existing vegetation on the resource properties, a required 35-foot setback requirement for future development of the Family Housing tract, and the relative distance to the proposed buildings, the Family Housing project would not be visible from the resources. Thus, there will be no project effect to these eligible resources.

In summary, Brockington has identified cultural resources within the 44.57-acre McDonough Family Housing (North) Tract project tract. However, the architectural resources will not be impacted by the current project scope, and the archaeological sites are recommended not eligible for the NRHP. Therefore, we recommend cultural resources clearance for this project.