Cultural Resources Inventory of the Georgia Portion of the Proposed Southern Natural Gas Company Cleveland Branch Line Meter Station Project (Inventory)

This report presents the final results of cultural resources inventory of the 13.4 km (8.3 mi) long Georgia portion of the proposed Southern Natural Gas Company Cleveland Branch Line Meter Station Project pipeline corridor. Survey was conducted by R. Christopher Goodwin and Associates, Inc., between September 1994 and May 1995. The proposed project corridor extends north from an existing Southern Natural Gas Company pipeline corridor located east of Sugartown in Catoosa County, Georgia, through the northeast corner of Whitfield County, Georgia, back into Catoosa County, and to the Georgia-Tennessee state line. From that point, the Tennessee portion of the pipeline extends north-northeast through Hamilton County and into Bradley County, where it terminates at an existing East Tennessee Natural Gas Company pipeline that runs west of the town of Cleveland, Tennessee. The entire Southern Natural Gas Company Cleveland Branch Line Meter Station Project, as designed, measures approximately 32.5 km (20.2 mi) in length. The fieldwork for this project was completed in two phases. Approximately 5.3 km (3.3 mi) of the proposed 13.35 km (8.3 mi) Georgia right-of-way was surveyed for cultural resources during September and October 1994. In addition, a possible 0.6 km (0.3 mi) reroute in Catoosa County, Georgia, also was examined at that time for cultural resources; right-of-entry was not available to approximately 7.6 km (4.7 mi) of the Georgia portion of the proposed pipeline corridor. Access to the unsurveyed portions of the proposed pipeline corridor, as well as a number of reroutes, subsequently was received, and fieldwork was completed during March through May 1995. This second phase of survey covered 7.08 km (4.4 mi) and also included three access roads, a 91.4 x 61 m (300 x 200 ft) staging area located at the start of the proposed pipeline (MP 0.00), and a 60.9 x 60.9 m (200 x 200 ft) expanded work space located at Old Country Mill Road (MP 2.24). Changes in the final alignment resulted in the use of only 5.8 km (3.6 mi) of the corridor that was surveyed initially in September and October 1994. The area encompassed by this cultural resources inventory totals 361 ac (146 ha). This report is not an addendum; it is intended to replace the draft report submitted for review in November 1994. Fieldwork consisted of pedestrian survey augmented by the systematic excavation of shovel tests along transects spaced 11 m (36.1 ft) apart. During survey, three previously recorded archeological sites (9CT7, 9CT8, and 9CT9) were revisited, and 29 newly identified cultural resources (29 prehistoric loci and 3 historic/modern loci) were identified. Intensive pedestrian survey and shovel testing of Sites 9CT7 and 9CT8 failed to produce cultural material or any evidence that they extend into the current project area. While cultural materials were recovered from Site 9CT9, the site was assessed as not significant. Only six of 29 cultural resources loci (five prehistoric loci and one historic locus) were awarded archeological site status. Of the sites recorded, only one of the newly identified archeological sites (9CT42) was assessed as potentially significant. However, fieldwork suggests that the portion of Site 9CT42 located within the proposed pipeline right-of-way does not possess the qualities of significance as defined by the National Register of Historic Places (36 CFR 60 [a-d]) Therefore, no additional evaluatory testing of that portion of Site 9CT42 located within the proposed pipeline right-of-way is recommended. Finally, no National Register eligible historic standing structures were identified either within or adjacent to the proposed project area. Since the final route of the proposed pipeline had not yet been chosen by the time of the cultural resources inventory, a number of potential routes and reroutes were surveyed for archeological resources. Following the selection of the precise pipeline route, eight of the newly identified cultural resources eventually fell outside the area of impact for the currently proposed pipeline corridor. These eight cultural resources loci consisted of one archeological site, Site 9CT41, and seven loci, Loci 2-2A, 3-3, 9-1, 9-2, 10-2, 10-3 and 10-4.