An Intensive Historical and Archaeological Assessment of the South Peachtree Creek Relief Sewer FC 7307-01, Fulton and Dekalb Counties, Georgia

This report presents the findings of an intensive cultural resource assessment survey of project area located in Atlanta, Georgia. The project area consists of a 2.2-mile long relief sewer line (FC-7307-01) corridor within Fulton and Dekalb counties. The location of the sewer line is depicted on the Northeast Atlanta and Northwest Atlanta Georgia, United States Geological Service (USGS), 7.5-minute quadrangle maps, and it closely parallels the South Fork of Peachtree Creek. The sewer line will interconnect with two, previously constructed sewer lines at both ends, and no additional sewer line construction is proposed at either end of the corridor. The City of Atlanta is constructing this sewer line under a Mandatory Consent Order imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Following extensive consultation with federal, state, and city agencies, an intensive survey was conducted from 19 January 2003 to 8 February 2003. A total of 303 shovel tests was excavated within the project corridor. Pedestrian inspection was also conducted in all locations where surface visibility was greater than 25 percent, such as clear areas, road-cuts, areas of subsurface disturbance, and along the banks of the South Fork of Peachtree Creek adjacent to the sewer line corridor. No historic structures were encountered within the sewer line corridor. A total of 11 previously unrecorded, archaeological sites were located during fieldwork. Cultural components recovered from these 11 sites date from the Archaic to historic time periods, circa 8,000 to 100 years before present (B. P.). None of these sites is considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places due to an absence of intact occupational strata and features, the low artifact density in positive tests dug within the sites, a lack of artifact concentrations, and a lack of site integrity. Four sites, or portions thereof, were previously recorded within the current project corridor; their locations were given as g.v. (general vicinity) plots and the initial information provided was minimal. The recorded locations of each of these sites were extensively tested during the current project. No cultural remains were encountered at the locations of two sites, and only limited cultural material was recovered from another site. No further work is recommended at these three, previously recorded sites. Potentially significant cultural remains were located at one previously recorded site. Testing of surviving rock shelters (Number 1 and Number 2) produced cultural material (projectile points, tools, waste flakes) diagnostic of the Archaic period (10,0003,000 B. P.). Testing indicates that additional cultural material remains intact at both rock shelters; these shelters also appear to extend into the hill from which they outcrop. The cultural materials present at one site may be determined significant to the understanding of Native American lifeways by state and federal agencies, making the site potentially eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Based upon preliminary consultation the USACOE Savannah District (Letter to Ben Taube, City of Atlanta from Edward Johnson, Chief Northern Section, USACOE, Savannah District,. dated 9 January 2003, page 2) "mitigation may or may not be required, depending upon the results of the testing program;" final determinations will be made by the involved agencies during the review process.