Archaeological Data Recovery Investigations at 9D0219, The Alexander House

Management Summary

From May 28 to July 23, 2019, Brockington and Associates, Inc. (Brockington), undertook Phase III mitigative data recovery investigations at Site 9DO219, also known as the Alexander House Site. The investigations were conducted under contract with Rooker Riverside, LLC (Rooker). Site 9DO219 is located on a wooded ridgetop northeast of Sweet-water Creek north of a transmission line corridor and south of the cleared and graded portion of the Riverside West development tract. Several cultural resource surveys were previously undertaken at the proposed Business Park tract as part of the permit-ting process for Section 404 of the Clean Water Act through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Savannah District. This compliance work was completed so that Rooker could develop the tract in accordance with commercial site plans. It resulted in the recordation of prehistoric and historic archaeological sites throughout the property. Although several sites within the Riverside West tract were determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), Site 9DO219 will be 100 percent adversely affected by construction activities, requiring mitigation.

Site 9DO219 measures 1.01 acres in size and represents a mid-nineteenth- to early twentieth-century mill owner’s residence. The occupation is associated with James H. Alexander, who co-owned nearby nineteenth-century Alexander’s Mill (9DO79); he was also the principal agent for New Manchester Mill further north on Sweetwater Creek. In 2018, the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) determined 9DO219 eligible for the NRHP under Criterion D for its potential to contain information important to understanding the his-tory of Douglas County (Crass 2018; Futch 2018). In addition, the SHPO determined the site would be adversely affected by the proposed project. They recommended development of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to facilitate management of this significant resource (Appendix A).

The MOA was developed between the USACE, SHPO, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) (Futch 2019) and executed in January 2019. When the MOA was signed and executed, an important portion of Site 9DO219 was a separate 0.15-acre outparcel (Parcel No. 01660150006) not owned by Rooker known as the Alexander House Historic Site Parcel (Parcel) (see Figure MS.2). Shortly after the execution of the MOA, Rooker obtained the title to this Parcel. Under Stipulation 4 of the MOA, if Rooker acquires the Parcel, adverse effects associated with the development of the Business Park will be mitigated prior to any disturbance, in accordance with Section I of the MOA (Futch 2019). Rooker’s current construction plans will disturb or destroy 100 percent of Site 9DO219, necessitating mitigation of its significant data.

Brockington was tasked with completing the stipulated Research Design. This document details several aspects of proposed mitigative Phase III Data Recovery investigations at 9DO219, which includes archival research and field excavations results. The Phase III report includes a site description, a review of previous work, an environmental and cultural context, research questions that Phase III investigations may address, and a methodology for collecting significant information.