Proposed development at the Ford Plantation LLC will adversely affect archaeological sites 9BN44, 913N 174, and 913N 177 (Dublin/Richmond Plantation). These sites are located within the Henry Ford National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) District (listed under Criteria B and C). Site 9BN44 was initially identified by Wapora (1983), and Whitley et al. (1999) identified 9BN174 and 913N I77. These archaeological investigations were required by stipulations outlined in Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended). Whitley et al. (1999) recommended that 9BN44, 913N 174, and 9BN 177 contain significant archaeological research potential under Criterion D. The Georgia Historic Preservation Division (GHPD) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Savannah District, concurred with these recommendations. Richmond-on-the-Ogeechee (named Dublin until 1821) was a tidal rice plantation and the primary residence of the Thomas Savage Clay family. Site 9BN44 represents the Richmond Plantation Overseer's House and outbuildings along the Ogeechee River bluff. Site 9BN174 represents a mid-nineteenth- to early-twentieth-century occupation adjacent to Richmond's rice fields. During the Phase 11 testing, we believed that 9BN174 was part of the adjacent McAllister Plantation; however, we had misinterpreted a historic map and were mistaken. Accordingly, results from this effort are included in this report. Site 913N 177 represents about 20 cabins that comprised the slave quarters, as well as some stables, barns, and other plantation outbuildings. All three sites also contain substantial prehistoric components representing the Late Paleoindian to Mississippian periods. In June 2000 the USACE, the GHPD, the Ford Plantation LLC, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) signed a Programmatic Agreement (PA), calling for Phase III archaeological data recovery excavations at 9BN44, 9BN 174, 913N 177. These excavations were to be completed prior to land altering development. Proposed development will adversely affect all three sites. This report is presented in compliance with stipulations in the PA to mitigate adverse effects to these sites. These data recovery investigations are conducted in accordance with Section 404 of the 1974 Clean Water Act (as amended) and Section 106 of the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act (as amended).
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