A Cultural Resource Assessment of a Proposed Park on Bull Creek, Columbus, Georgia

In October of 1979, the City of Columbus contracted with the Columbus Museum of Arts and Sciences, Inc. to conduct an archeological assessment to determine cultural resources and their eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places on 127 acres included in parts of land lots 8,9,10 and 24 In the 9th District, Muscogee County, Georgia, known as the proposed Floyd Road park by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. This assessment was to be conducted to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (80 Stat 915) and to comply with 16 USC 470 and cited in the Land and Water Conservation Fund Formal Application Procedures (Columbus Georgia Purchase Order 140083).

Approximately 33 acres (13 hectares) are on the northwest side of Bull Creek, between that stream and the Central of Georgia railway, the remaining 94 acres(38 hectares)are on the southeast side of the creek between the creek and Floyd Road, Fort Junior High School, and the Regency Park subdivision (see Figs. 2 and 3). The southwestern most point on the study area is located at UTM coordinate: zone 16S, E696476 N 3596071. The northernmost point is at E697405 N 3597455. The easternmost edge of the study area is at E697667.

The southern end of the study area is approximately 7 miles (11.25 kilometers) from the mouth of Bull Creek. Approximately one mile (1.6 kilometers) of the stream bed is within the study area, and the northern end of the study area is less than 2 miles (3 kilometers) downstream from the first outcroppings of Piedmont Precambian gneiss.

With the exception of border areas along stream beds and Floyd road, the majority of the study area has, until recently, been in pasture or under cultivation. Bottom lands on the southeastern side of Bull Creek are planted in pines. These pines appear to be less than ten years old. To the northwest of Bull Creek, the bottom lands are predominantly in shrubs and briers. The upper terrace lands to the north of Fort Junior High School (see Fig. 3) are predominantly in broomsedge (Andropogon sp.) suggesting an abandonment of less than 5 years.

Elevation in the bottom lands range from approximately 265 feet (81 meters) above mean sea level to 271 feet (83 meters). The terrace land north of Fort Junior High School ranges from 280 feet (85 meters) to 286 feet (87 meters) above mean sea level. The terrace rise is approximately 6 feet (2 meters).

Stream borders within the study area are of the Ochlocknee Series, with coarse-loamy, siliceous, acid, thermic soils. The subgroup is Typic Udifluvents (Columbus Georgia 1977:218). The bottom lands are of the Rains Series, with fine-loamy, siliceous, thermic soils of the subgroup Grossarenic Palendults (Ibid:208). The bottom lands typically have 0-22 inches (0-56 centimeters) of sandy loam, with sandy clay loam and clay loam below. The upland terrace lands typically have 0-48 inches (0-122 centimeters) of loamy sand, with sandy clay loam and sandy loam below.