Phase II Archaeological Testing of 9BW103

The Halvorsen Development Corporation (Halvorsen) has applied to the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for a permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act in order to proceed with its proposed development of the Chateau Village Shoppes in Barrow County, Georgia. Section 404 is overseen by the USACE and triggers compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which requires the lead federal agency to take into account the effects of the proposed activities upon historic resources eligible for or listed in the National Register of Historic Place (NRHP). In 2007, Halvorsen hired Terracon to conduct an archaeological survey of in order to identify and evaluate historic resources within the proposed development property (Norwood and Timms 2011). As a result of that survey, site 9BW103 was located and described as a prehistoric Middle Woodland Swift Creek phase village at the confluence of the Mulberry River and Duncan Creek. At that time, the site was recommended as eligible for listing in the NRHP.

New South Associates (New South) conducted Phase II shovel testing and mapping of site 9BW103 to definitively evaluate the eligibility of the site for listing in the NRHP and to acquire more information about the site in order to plan for data recovery operations. The current investigation found that the complicated stamped ceramics are actually the remains of a Late Woodland Swift Creek B Complex and/or Napier occupation rather than a classic Swift Creek occupation. However, there is the possibility that some of the complicated stamped wares recovered from the site are either Woodstock and or classic late Swift Creek.

Based on the Phase II investigation of 9BW103, the site is eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion D, which states that a historic resource is eligible for listing if it has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. The investigation revealed that the site contains intact archaeological deposits, including what appear to be buried cultural features. In addition, there are small circular cupules pecked into several of the rock outcrops at the site, as well as a rock pile and rock slab that may remain from the site occupation. The site has a high research value as it retains a high degree of archaeological integrity and contains data that could be used to address numerous research issues relating to the poorly understood Late Woodland prehistory of northern Georgia.