Historic Structure Survey for the Proposed Turkey Creek 115/15kV, 10.5 MVA Substation, Dooly County, Georgia

Southern Research, Historic Preservation Consultants, Inc. conducted a phase one historic structure survey for the Georgia Transmission Corporation's proposed Turkey Creek 115/25 kV, 10.5 MVA Substation in Dooly County, Georgia. The proposed project area is located along Georgia Highway 27 west of Vienna, Georgia (Figure 1). Most of the Area of Potential Effect (APE) is situated on the north side of Highway 27 with Templeton Road transecting north-south through the middle of the APE while the North Americus-Pitts 111 KV transmission line runs east-west through the middle of the APE (Figure 2). Since the project is in the initial planning phase, the location of the substation has not been determined. The goal of this project was to identify all historic structures in the APE to better assist in the future placement of the substation to best avoid adverse effects to any potentially eligible structures. The area is quite rural with the northern portion of the APE low and swampy from Pennahatchee Creek and its tributaries, including Turkey Creek. The south half of the APE is higher in elevation with open fields and small woodlands and a few houses and farms located along Georgia Highway 27 and Templeton Road. Dooly County was formed in May of 1821 from the 1821 Georgia Land Lottery. The county was name for Revolutionary War Colonel John Dooly who led a regiment at the Battle of Kettle Creek in 1779. Berrien was the first county seat, followed by Drayton in 1835, which was situated on the east side of the Flint River (Sherwood 1836:163; White 1855:424). Later as portions of Dooly County were added to adjoining Lee and Pulaski Counties, the county seat was moved to Vienna, which was incorporated in 1854. Dooly County's economy moved from subsistence farming to focus on cotton production early on in its development. Later in the nineteenth century the timber industry became particularly important to the county's economy. Around 1900 several turpentine distilleries were in operation in the county (Stevens and Wright 1901:635). Today Dooly County's two principal agricultural crops are cotton and peanuts (The New Georgia Encyclopedia online: Dooly County).