Archaeological Testing at 9HL20

On August 27, 28, and 29, 1986 the Georgia Department of Transportation conducted archaeological test excavations at site 9HL20 in Hall County, Georgia. This testing was in fulfillment of an Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) Permit entered into by GDOT with the Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District, and instigated by federal aid funding for the replacement of Belton Bridge on County Road 943 over the Chattahoochee River (GDOT Project # BRZLB-139(9). Realignment of C.R. 943 to the east on the south side of the river would impact the site (Figure 1 and 2). The purpose of the testing program was to define the vertical and horizontal limits of the site within the proposed GDOT transportation easements, the nature of the archaeological deposits (integrity and disposition), cultural affiliations and chronological placement. This data was necessary to determine site significance (as defined by the NRHP Significance Criteria), the effect of the project on the site, and recommendations for additional investigation. The site was apparently initially recorded by James Mooney (Thomas 1891 [?]) in the late 19th Century and was later visited in 1950 and the late 1970's (Rudolph 1979). A mound was reported to originally have been part of the site, but in 1950 only a small edge of the mound remained intact and today there are no signs of it. The river is apparently quite active at this point bar location which has been subject to severe periodic eroding and flooding. Additional disturbances include the upgrading of C.R. 943 in recent years, which apparently also destroyed much of the western portion of the site, and a local resident stated that he had farmed the property up until the early 1950's. Today the site is completely wooded with no surface indications of past cultural activity. The irregularity of the ground surface is indicative, however, of river flooding.