Cultural Resources Survey for the Proposed Jimmy DeLoach Parkway, Chatham County, Georgia

This cultural resources survey was conducted prior to construction of the proposed Jimmy Deloach Parkway in Chatham County, Georgia. This roadway is 4.3 km (2.7 miles) long and 60 m (200 feet) wide, extending from U.S. Highway 80 to Interstate 16. While much of the area investigated was wet, evidence of past human activity was discovered throughout the corridor. The survey was performed April 24-27, 1995, by Garrow & Associates, Inc. A combination pedestrian 'survey' and subsurface testing program was pursued throughout this entire corridor. The literature search prior to the fieldwork determined that limited activities had occurred in the vicinity of the project corridor until relatively late in the historic period. Although these activities were primarily agricultural, canals, railroads, and roadways traverse the corridor. One of the abandoned railroad lines is a remnant of the Central of Georgia Railroad Company. This railroad contributed to establishing Savannah as a trading center in the Southeast during the mid nineteenth century. This railroad line liar previously been used as an example of a railroad line that may be eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) (de Kok 199I). The section within the proposed corridor has been converted to an unimproved roadway. A segment of Hardin Canal was encountered and appears to be relatively intact. Six sites were identified within and adjacent to the proposed corridor (9CH829, 9CH830, 9CH831, 9CH832, 9CH833, and 9CH834). They are domestic historic house sites dating from the late nineteenth through mid twentieth century. Three of these sites contain standing structures that appear to retain architectural integrity (9CH829, 9CH830, and 9CH833). It is recommended that these sites be visited by an architectural historian to determine their NRHP eligibility. The three remaining sites do not retain sufficient architectural or archaeological integrity to be able to yield information important to historical research (9CH831, 9CH832, and 9CH834). No other resources encountered along the corridor were recommended as eligible for the NRHP.