The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About20191466 Ver 1_2018-01-24 Archaeology Survey Required Form_20191029Project Tracking No.: 17-12-0024 oa ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REQUIRED FORM .' This form only pertains to ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES for this project. It is not [ C c, ..o �°�.'" valid for Historic Architecture and Landscapes. You must consult separately with the :..:.:.. 'G' Historic Architecture and Landscapes Group. PROJECT INFORMATION Project No: BR-0044 County: Rockingham W l'BS No: 67044.1.1 Document.- MCC F.A. No: na Funding: ® State ❑ Federal Federal Permit Kequired? ® Yes ❑ No Permit Type: NWP Project Description: The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Division 7 intends to replace Bridge No. 168 on NC 14/18 over the Smith River north of Spray. No preliminary designs were available at the time of the archaeological review but a study area 300 feet (approximately 91.44 meters) wide and 2,584 feet (nearly 787.63 meters) long was provided for the archaeological review. For the purposes of that review this study area will be considered to be the area of potential effects (APE). Thus the APE is estimated to encompass 17.8 acres (slightly over 7.2 hectares). SUMMARY OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES REVIEW: SURVEY -REQUIRED Briefdescription ofreviewactivities, results ofreview, and conclusions: The initial review of the site maps and files archived at the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology (OSA) was conducted on January 12, 2018. No previously recorded archaeological resources are located within the proposed APE, but the area a number of archaeologically significant sites along the Smith River to the north and along the Dan River to the south of the project area. In particular, a fish weir (31RK91) is located a little over .5 kilometer north of the bridge. This fish weir as well as a number of other sites were reported to researchers with the Research Laboratories of Archaeology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (RLA) in 1985-1986 by local residents as part of the initial stages of archaeological research into Native American settlement patterns in the northern North Carolina Piedmont. Along the Smith River, two sites were reported by a local informant, Pete Adkins: a rock shelter overlooking the Smith River in Virginia, designated by the RLA as "PA2' ; and the aforementioned weir, designated "PA1" (Simpkins and Petherick 1986: 124). In their notes, Simpkins and Petherick suggest that the weir at PA1 is either very well preserved or is actually the result of the natural hydrology of the river at that point. Aerial photographs of the Smith River clear show a number of riffles and nick -points upstream from Bridge No. 168. But, Google Earth images of the location of PA1 over time frequently show a distinct "V"-shaped structure during periods of low water. Those images even suggest that the weir may, in fact be a double "V", though this is less clear in the images. Simpkins and Petherick also record that Adkins reported, in reference to PA2, that the "entire area is full of rock shelters" that were very well known to local collectors. An examination of the data presented on the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office HPOWEB GIS Service (htip://gis.ncdcr.gov/hl2oweb/) reveals no historic properties within .5-mile of Bridge No. 168. However, there are six (6) cemeteries that have been documented in upland settings within that same radius. An examination of soils in Rockingham County presented on the National Resources Conservation Service Web Soil Survey(http://websoilsurvey.nres.usda.gov/aPp/WebSoilSurvey.asa-) indicates that the following `ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REQUIRED" form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 1 of 4 Project Tracking No.: 17-12-0024 soil types fall within the delineated APE: Cilfford sandy clay loam, 2 to 8 percent slopes, moderately eroded (CgB2); Dan River loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes, frequently flooded (DaA); Devotion fine sandy loam, 15 to 45 percent slopes (DeF); Poplar Forest sandy clay loam, 8 to 15 percent slopes, moderately eroded (PpD2); Udorthents, loamy (Ud); and Yadkin loam, 2 to 8 percent slopes (TaB). In general, previous archaeological investigation in of this portion of the Piedmont strongly suggests considerable prehistoric use of the landscape. From that perspective along, there appears to be a broadly high probability for archaeological sites in the area. Ward and Davis (1993: 5-9) report a number of late prehistoric sites and protohistoric sites along the Dan River drainage basin (including the Smith River) as a part of their broader examination of Siouan settlement patters in the region. In particular, the Lower Saratown Site (31RK1) and the Powerplant Site (31RK5) are both located within 4 miles of the current APE. While these sites are located on broader alluvial landforms than appear to be in the vicinity of Bridge No. 168, mapped soil type and river hydrology are similar to those located within the current project area. A through archaeological investigation of the APE, including subsurface testing, is required for this project. References Cited: Simpkins, D. L. and G. L. Petherick 1986 Second Phase Inve tigations of Late Aboriginal Settlement Systems in the Eno, Haw, and Dan River Drainages, North Carolina. Research Report No. 6, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ward, H. T. and R. P. S. Davis Jr. 1993 Indian Communities on the North Carolina Piedmont, A.D. 1000 to 1700. Monograph No. 2, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION See attached: ® Map(s) ❑ Previous Survey Info ❑ Photos ❑Correspondence ® Other: http://websoilsurvey.nres.usda.gov/al2p/WebSoilSurvey.asl2x FINDING BY NCDOT ARCHAEOLOGIST — SUR VEYREQUIRED , )/. C. I January 24, 2018 NCDOT ARCHAEOLOGIST Date Proposed fieldwork completion date "ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REQUIRED" form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 2 of 4 :, iij-j RIO, �110 Project Tracking No.: 17-12-0024 Google Earth image depicting "PA1 ", the fish weir on the Smith River in April 2007. Google Earth image depicting "PA1", the fish weir on the Smith River in February 2017. "ARCHAEOLOGICAL SUR VEYREQUIRED"formfor the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 4 of 4 0 609900 36° 31' 50" N 36° 31' 31" N 609900 609990 610080 610170 610260 610350 3 Map Scale: 1:4,080 if printed on A landscape (11" x 8.5") sheet. Meters N 0 50 100 200 300 Feet 0 150 300 600 900 Map projection: Web Mercator Comer coordinates: WGS84 Edge tics: UTM Zone 17N WGS84 Ul Natural Resources Web Soil Survey lam Conservation Service National Cooperative Soil Survey Soil Map —Rockingham County, North Carolina (BR-0044 Bridge No. 168 on NC 14/18) 609990 610080 610170 610260 610350 610440 610530 610620 610440 610530 610620 610710 36° 31' 50" N I 36° 31' 31" N 610710 3 v 1 /23/2018 Page 1 of 3 MAP LEGEND Area of Interest (AOI) Area of Interest (AOI) Soils Soil Map Unit Polygons =; 0 Soil Map Unit Lines 0 Soil Map Unit Points Special Point Features {_j Blowout Borrow Pit Clay Spot r^i Closed Depression ` Gravel Pit „ Gravelly Spot Landfill Lava Flow Marsh or swamp ++ Mine or Quarry Miscellaneous Water Perennial Water Rock Outcrop Saline Spot 4 Sandy Spot Severely Eroded Spot Sinkhole ; . Slide or Slip oa Sodic Spot Soil Map —Rockingham County, North Carolina (BR-0044 Bridge No. 168 on NC 14/18) MAP INFORMATION Spoil Area The soil surveys that comprise your AOI were mapped at 1:24,000. 1) Stony Spot L% Very Stony Spot Warning: Soil Map may not be valid at this scale. Wet Spot Enlargement of maps beyond the scale of mapping can cause misunderstanding of the detail of mapping and accuracy of soil ,8 Other line placement. The maps do not show the small areas of Special Line Features contrasting soils that could have been shown at a more detailed scale. Water Features Streams and Canals Please rely on the bar scale on each map sheet for map measurements. Transportation F++ Rails Source of Map: Natural Resources Conservation Service Web Soil Survey URL: Interstate Highways Coordinate System: Web Mercator (EPSG:3857) US Routes Maps from the Web Soil Survey are based on the Web Mercator Major Roads projection, which preserves direction and shape but distorts distance and area. A projection that preserves area, such as the Local Roads Albers equal-area conic projection, should be used if more accurate calculations of distance or area are required. Background . Aerial Photography This product is generated from the USDA-NRCS certified data as of the version date(s) listed below. Soil Survey Area: Rockingham County, North Carolina Survey Area Data: Version 18, Oct 3, 2017 Soil map units are labeled (as space allows) for map scales 1:50,000 or larger. Date(s) aerial images were photographed: Apr 4, 2014—Mar 15, 2017 The orthophoto or other base map on which the soil lines were compiled and digitized probably differs from the background imagery displayed on these maps. As a result, some minor shifting of map unit boundaries may be evident. usDA Natural Resources Web Soil Survey 1/23/2018 Conservation Service National Cooperative Soil Survey Page 2 of 3 Soil Map —Rockingham County, North Carolina BR-0044 Bridge No. 168 on NC 14/18 Map Unit Legend Map Unit Symbol Map Unit Name Acres in AOI Percent of AOI CgB2 DaA Clifford sandy clay loam, 2 to 8 percent slopes, moderately eroded 1.8 6.5 9.9% 36.6% Dan River loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes, frequently flooded DeF Devotion fine sandy loam, 15 to 45 percent slopes 5.8 32.4% PpD2 Poplar Forest sandy clay loam, 8 to 15 percent slopes, moderately eroded 0.2 1.2% Ud Udorthents, loamy 1.0 5.5% W Water 1.2 6.8% 7.6% YaB Yadkin loam, 2 to 8 percent slopes 1.3 Totals for Area of Interest 17.8 100.0% usDA Natural Resources Web Soil Survey 1/23/2018 r Conservation Service National Cooperative Soil Survey Page 3 of 3