The Partnership for Response and Recovery (PaRR) has conducted a Phase I archaeological survey of the proposed borrow pit for soil that will be used to construct Houston Lake Dam. Because the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing assistance for the construction project, this study was undertaken in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and other regulations that require consideration of the effects of Federal undertakings on cultural resources. Phase I field investigations included an initial site walkover and shovel testing. The project area was an open field surrounded by mixed forests. A thin surface scatter was identified in the study area's southeast corner during walkover survey. Excavators then completed shovel testing across the study area at 50-foot intervals to identify subsurface artifact concentrations, and to more accurately define the limits of the surface scatter. Additional testing was conducted in cardinal directions from artifact-bearing shovel tests in an effort to define artifact concentration limits. A total of 46 shovel test pits (STPs) were excavated and both historic and prehistoric artifacts were recovered. The archaeological site measures approximately 140 feet (N-S) by 40 feet (EW) and has been registered as 9HT120 in state archaeological site files at the University of Georgia. Historic and prehistoric artifacts were found to be mixed in the lowest artifact -bearing soil layers of this site, and representative stratigraphic profiles indicate that the gently sloping knoll on which the site is located has eroded to the point that almost no plow zone survives in some locations. Due to the limited research potential of this small prehistoric lithic scatter and the denuded nature of the site, it does not appear to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and additional archaeological investigation would not provide significantly more data than has been recovered to date. Therefore, no additional archaeological investigations are recommended for this study area.
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