PHASE I ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY FOR THE PROPOSED SR 16 AT SR 42 ROUNDABOUT, BUTTS COUNTY, GEORGIA

In August and November of 2020, Edwards-Pitman, Inc. (EP) conducted a Phase I archaeological survey for the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)-proposed roundabout project at the intersection of State Route (SR) 16, also known as East (E.) 3rd Street, and SR 42, also known as Macon Road, in the City of Jackson, Butts County (P.I. No. 0013862). EP’s archaeological survey was completed in accordance with GDOT’s Environmental Procedures Manual (EPM) (2013), Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (1966, as amended through 2016) and its implementing regulations (36 CFR Part 800), and follows the standards set forth by the Georgia Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Surveys (Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists [GCPA] 2019).

The proposed project consists of converting the intersection of SR 16 and SR 42 into a single-lane roundabout with a three-legged approach. The proposed 36.5-meter (m) (120-foot [ft]) diameter roundabout would have a 5.5 m (18 ft) wide lane within the roundabout and 3.6 m (12 ft) wide approach lanes. The speed limit would be reduced to 40.2 kilometers (km) (25 miles [mi]) per hour within the roundabout. The proposed roundabout would include pedestrian crossings and 1.5 m (5 ft) wide concrete sidewalks. Additional right-of-way (ROW) would be required from the north side of SR 16/SR 42/East (E.) 3rd Street and would vary between approximately 4.5 m (15 ft) wide and approximately 28.3 m (93 ft) wide for an area of approximately 0.04 hectare (ha) (0.1 acre [ac]). Additionally, ROW would be required from the southeast corner of SR 16/E. 3rd Street and SR 42 that would vary between approximately 0.9 m (3 ft) wide and 7 m (23 ft) wide for an area of approximately 0.001 ha (0.004 ac). Existing ROW along SR 16/SR 42/United States Highway (US) 23/E. 3rd Street measures 18.3 m (60 ft) in width, while existing ROW along SR 16/E. 3rd Street measures 15.2 m (50 ft) in width.

The survey area for this Phase I archaeological investigation is an Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB) provided to EP by project design engineers at ARCADIS US, Inc. The ESB measures approximately 6.5 ha (16.2 ac) in size. It is 425 m (1,394 ft) in length and varies between 80 to 225 m (262 to 738 ft) in width. The ESB was designed to encompass all areas of possible/foreseeable ground disturbance for the proposed project. When design is complete, the Area of Potential Effect (APE) for the proposed project will likely be smaller than the ESB that is shown. The purpose of this survey is to identify archaeological resources within the ESB and evaluate them for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

As a result of this survey, EP identified 9BS119, a twentieth century artifact scatter. This scatter resulted from two no-longer-extant mill worker’s houses that were associated with the Pepperton Mill Village, a district identified by this project’s Historic Resources Survey Report (EP 2021) that is eligible for the NRHP under Criteria A and C. As 9BS119 lacks integrity of design, materials, workmanship, and association, EP recommends the site as ineligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion D. In addition, the site does not contribute to the eligibility of the HRSR’s Resource 4, the Pepperton Mill Village, which was recommended as eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criteria A and C (EP 2021).