Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed Eastman-North Dublin Transmission Corridor

This report documents the Phase I cultural resource survey of the proposed development of the Eastman-North Dublin 230 kV transmission line loop for Oglethorpe Power Corporation. The 12 acre study tract is located 1.25 miles west of Dublin, in north-central Laurens County, Georgia. The project area is a corridor 200 feet wide by 0.5 miles long. This survey focused on locating and identifying previously unrecorded cultural resources. One archaeological site was documented during the field investigations and is temporarily designated Sandy Ford Branch (SFB-1). This site consists of a prehistoric lithic extraction quarry and a reduction station and extends beyond all except the eastern boundaries of the project area. The prehistoric component of SFB-1 is significant and is recommended eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places based on Criterion D. Specifically stated, a site "that may have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history" (National Register Division 1977:6) should be considered eligible for NRHP listing. Plans to preserve the site from harm in situ during construction should include provisions stating that the southwest portion of the project area should be cleared by hand so that the archaeological deposits will not be disturbed. However, if it is determined that the installation of the transmission line loop cannot avoid the site and will encroach on the deposits of SFB-1, Phase II archaeological testing is recommended at this site. Also included within the borders of SFB-1 is a historic component represented by the structural remains of a rural twentieth-century tenant house and associated artifacts. The proposed project will have no effect on these historic resources.