An Intensive Archaeological Survey of Proposed Improvements to Old Alabama Road Bartow County

Southeastern Archeological Services (SAS) conducted an intensive archeological survey and site testing of the proposed widening and new construction associated with improvements to Old Alabama Road, in Bartow County, Georgia. The project, which measures approximately 13.7 km (8.5 mi) in length, begins at the intersection of Old Alabama Road and State Route 113. From this point and continuing east to S.R. 61, the project consists mostly of widening the existing two-lane road to a four-lane divided highway. The new location extension of the roadway to a previous realigned portion of Old Alabama Road located south of the Cartersville Airport is proposed. Extending easterly from S. R. 61, widening of Old Alabama is proposed primarily on the south side of the present roadway alignment to just west of C.R. 699. From this point, which is approximately 0.5 km west of the city of Emerson, the highway would be rerouted into a new location alignment for roughly 5 km (3.1 mi), continuing around the western and northern sides of town before terminating at Red Top Mountain Road near its interchange with Interstate 75. The project corridor generally measures 61.0 m (200 ft) in width, and is centered typically along the eastbound shoulder (south side) of Old Alabama Road and the centerline of the proposed new sections of highway. As Gresham (1998) summarized in a literature review for the project, much of the project area has been surveyed in the past, and the general area has been surveyed at least three times. The present survey revisited eight previously reported archeological sites, several of which have already been tested. In addition, our survey recorded six hither-to unrecorded sites and three artifact occurrences. All but two of the sites are within the Etowah Valley National Register District. Of the 14 sites within the project area, nine contain only prehistoric components, one consists solely of the remains of a historic home, and four include both prehistoric and historic occupations. One of the sites (9BR761), a prehistoric artifact scatter, was tested. All of the sites and artifact occurrences are recommended ineligible to the National Register, or ineligible as contributing members of the Etowah Valley National Register District as they exist within the project area. One site, 9BR903, required further consideration. Several lines of evidence suggest that a historic cemetery may be present on 9BR903, immediately to the north of Old Alabama Road and in the yard of a home. The first, and perhaps most compelling, line of evidence is an 1887 deed (Deed Book Z, page 443, Bartow County Courthouse) which describes the transfer of a lot on the northern side of the road from James M. Field to John A. and James M. Stephens. A description of the lot reads: "three (3) acres of land more or less, in a triangular shape being the tract known as the old burying ground lying north of the Old Alabama Road and in the corner of two lane". Further deed research supported (but did not absolutely prove) that this "old burying ground" was on the north side of Old Alabama Road at 9BR903. Probing of this area at 1 m intervals revealed a few anomalies in soil texture, but nothing that could be considered clear or firm evidence of graves. With strong deed and informant evidence suggesting the presence of cemetery north of the road, project engineers redesigned the widening to shift south of the existing road and not encroach upon the probable cemetery. Thus, the proposed widening will not affect the plot of land thought to contain the cemetery. The added right-of-way south of the road needed for the shift had been archeologically surveyed during our original survey.