Archeological Survey of the Proposed Highway 301 115/25kV Substation, Bulloch County, Georgia

In January, 2001 Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc., conducted a Phase I archeological survey of a proposed 3.1 ha (7.7 ac) substation tract in southwestern Bulloch County, Georgia. The Georgia Transmission Corporation is proposing to construct a 115/25 kV substation on the triangular shaped tract that is bordered on the south by an unnamed branch, on the north by Union Church Road and on the east by a property line. Most of the tract is a cultivated field, with the lower slopes next to the creek being wooded. The goal of the survey was to locate, describe and evaluate archeological resources within the area of potential effect for the proposed project so that potential effects to those resources could be evaluated in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The area of potential effect is defined as the entire 3.1 ha tract, even though the substation and access road will occupy only a portion of it. Archival research had indicated that no known archeological sites or historic period structures were documented for the tract. Our field survey involved surface inspection of the plowed field for artifacts, inspection of the wooded slopes for features and the excavation of five shovel tests around a surface find that consisted of two prehistoric chert artifacts, a flake and a scraper. Since these two artifacts failed to meet the criteria for a site (five surface artifacts), our survey detected no archeological sites in the area of potential effect. The artifact occurrence is clearly not eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places because it has no further research potential. Therefore, we conclude that the proposed construction of the substation will not adversely affect any significant archeological resources.