Phase I Archaeological Survey for the Proposed Roundabout at the Intersection of State Route 53 Business and Dragon Drive, Pickens County, Georgia

Edwards-Pitman, Inc. (EP) has completed a Phase I archaeological survey for the proposed roundabout at the intersection of State Route (SR) 53 Business (BU) and Dragon Drive (Dr) in Pickens County, Georgia. This project was conducted for the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) under a contract with Arcadis U.S., Inc. (Arcadis). The purpose of the survey was to locate and evaluate archaeological resources within the Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB) that was provided to EP by Arcadis for assessment of eligibility for listing to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). EP’s archaeological survey was completed in accordance with GDOT’s Environmental Procedures Manual (EPM) (GDOT 2013) and the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists’ (GCPA) Georgia Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Investigations (GCPA 2019). Survey for this project utilized visual inspection and shovel testing to locate, map, and investigate archaeological sites.

The ESB measures approximately 0.96 kilometers (km) (0.6 miles [mi]) in length along SR 53 BU and is between 105 and 136 meters (m) (335 and 446 feet [ft]) in width. The ESB measures approximately 0.29 km (0.18 mi) in length east along Dragon Dr from the intersection of SR 53 BU and Dragon Dr, and the width of the ESB along Dragon Dr ranges between 92 and 225 m (302 and 738 ft). A total of 13.8 hectares (ha) (34.4 acres [ac]) were surveyed. Refer to Table 0.1. for a summary of the report.

Before fieldwork, a review was made of the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) at the University of Georgia in Athens (UGA) and of Georgia’s Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources Geographic Information System (GNAHRGIS) online database for previously recorded sites within a 1 km (0.62 mi) radius of the ESB. The review found no previously recorded archaeological sites located within this radius. Other historically significant resources located within a 1 km (0.62 mi) radius of the ESB include segments of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail (NHT) and the Old Federal Road. During the survey, no remnants or features associated with either the Trail of Tears NHT or the original Old Federal Road were identified.

EP’s survey resulted in the recordation of a new archaeological resource: 9PI241. Site 9PI241 is a twentieth-century house and trash dump site mixed with modern debris. Since the site was not fully delineated, the overall eligibility for the NRHP is unknown under Criterion D. However, the investigated portion of the site does not retain integrity and does not contain significant data potential. Due to the site’s unknown eligibility, EP recommends that the unknown portion of the site located outside of the ESB be designated as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) and protected during construction with Orange Barrier Fencing (OBF).