Intensive Archaeological Survey and Testing of US19/SR3 Around the Webb Family Farm Historic District

Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc. (SAS), contracted through Greenhorne & O'Mara, Inc., conducted a Phase I intensive archeological survey and limited Phase II site testing of proposed alternative US 19/SR 3 routes around the Webb Family Farm Historic District in Sumter County, Georgia for the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). The archeological project was executed in compliance with section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. Section 106 requires that all federal agencies, or entities funded, regulated or licensed by federal agencies, must `take into account' any significant cultural resources that may be adversely affected by the proposed undertaking, which in this case is the rerouting of US 19/SR 3. The Scope of Work administered through Greenhorne & O'Mara, Inc. allowed for Phase II testing investigation for any sites that could not be firmly determined as eligible or ineligible (recommended `potentially eligible') for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) with survey phase information alone. For this project two such sites were test excavated, 9SU156 and 9SU159. The remaining cultural resources were recommended ineligible for listing in the NRHP. Greater than half of the project area traversed cultivated fields with excellent (nearly 100%) surface exposure, most of which was on the west side of Muckaloochee Creek. The proposed alternatives followed the edge of the creek terrace for most of the southern half of the project area. Remaining area consisted of either fallow fields, pine plantations, pecan orchards or wooded terrain with a mixture of pines, hardwoods and scrub, all of which was located in the north half of the project area and northeast of Muckaloochee Creek. The initial proposed US 19/SR 3 rerouting that bypasses the Webb Family Farm was intensively surveyed for cultural resources during the fourth week of May 2000 by a crew of four people. There were two proposed alternatives (Alternates A and B), running from the Sumter/Lee County line north to Bear Branch. Both alternatives are located west of the present route of US 19/SR 3. The May 2000 survey recorded 13 cultural resources (twelve sites and one occurrence). One site, 9SU 145, had been previously recorded by Brockington and Associates, Inc. on an unrelated project only two to three weeks prior to our arrival. During the initial survey one site was recommended potentially eligible (9SU159), requiring additional Phase II investigation. A second survey phase of investigation for a third alternative route (Alternate C) occurred during the second week of July 2000 and resulted in the discovery of an early twentieth century site (9SU167) and three prehistoric occurrences. Due to the lack of preservation integrity, 9SU167 was recommended ineligible for listing in the NRHP. For the Alternate C survey, additional survey phase shovel tests also were excavated on previously recorded sites 9SU156 and 9SU157. These sites were recorded during the initial cultural resources survey in May 2000. The additional shovel tests on these two sites for the Alternate C route resulted in the recommendation of a potentially eligible status for 9SU156. The additional shovel tests on 9SU157 greatly expanded overall site size, but they did not alter the original recommendation of ineligible for listing in the NRHP. Thus, the two cultural resources surveys for all three proposed alternatives bypassing the Webb Family Farm resulted in the recording of 17 cultural resources (13 sites and four occurrences) with two potentially eligible sites, 9SU156 and 9SU159. These two sites were recommended ineligible after the testing phase (see Tables 1 and 2).