Archaeological and Historical Ilnvestigations at the Spier House Site (9FU411), Fulton County, Georgia

Between December 2003 and January 2004 staff archaeologists from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) conducted intensive field and archival investigations at the Spier House site (9FU411), in Fulton County, Georgia. The Spier House site is the remains of an early to mid-nineteenth century domestic dwelling with well preserved standing chimneys, timber remains, a stone and brick lined basement, wells, and collapsed outbuildings. Numerous piles of modern trash (from the 1950s1970s) are scattered across the site, obscuring the early construction date for the primary occupation. Site mapping, shovel tests, and formal unit excavation indicate the site is fairly large. However, the artifact assemblage is skewed in favor of essentially modem artifacts-there are very few artifacts that clearly date to the site's period of significance. Archaeological site 9FU411 has been evaluated for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) according to the criteria outlined by the National Park Service (36 CFR 60.4). The site has been found to meet the requirements for eligibility under Criteria C and D, and maintains sufficient integrity to convey its significance with respect to location, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. While a majority of the site falls outside the area of direct impact, significant portions of the site will be directly affected, and the entire site is at risk as a result of reasonably foreseeable secondary and cumulative impacts. Therefore, we anticipate of Finding of Adverse Effect for site 9FU411. This report is abbreviated and focuses specifically on the results of the archaeological and historical investigations at the Spier House site. There is a detailed discussion of the archaeological and archival methods and results, an historic context for evaluating the site, and recommendations regarding the anticipated effects and proposed mitigation measures.