Intensive Cultural Resources Survey, 22,003 Acres of Fy94 Timber Harvest Tracts, Strom Thurmond Lake, Georgia and SC

Brockington and Associates, Inc., recently completed a cultural resources survey of 22,003 acres of United States Army Corps of Engineers property adjacent to Thurmond Lake. The goals of the survey were to locate and assess the significance of archaeological resources within the project areas. Sites were assessed in terms of their eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places. To accomplish these goals Brockington and Associates, Inc., utilized a probability model in which areas with high probability for site location were intensively examined using a strategy of subsurface testing and surface examination. High probability areas (ridge tops, saddles, terraces, etc.) were intensively investigated by shovel testing at a 30 m interval. Low probability areas (slopes) were examined less extensively, at a 40-80 m interval. Archaeological sites were defined as discreet concentrations of four or more artifacts and/or visible archaeological or architectural features. Based on field survey and a review of previous work in the region, a total of 491 cultural loci were recorded: 353 sites and 138 isolated finds. Historic components are identified at 13 isolated finds and 103 sites. Prehistoric components were identified at 128 isolated finds and 270 sites. Fifty-four sites are recommended eligible or potentially eligible for listing with the National Register of Historic Places. The list of historic sites recommended potentially eligible for the NRHP includes nine cemeteries. Recommendations of eligibility for the NRHP were based on the potential for sites to contribute information of local, regional, or national significance. In-field evaluations were based on the degree of disturbance, the presence of numerous or unusual artifacts, the recovery of diagnostic materials, and the presence of archaeological and architectural features. The table below summarizes the findings of the survey.