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Home My WebLink About20210455 Ver 1_10_AR21-01-0009nosurvey_20210226Project Tracking No. 2020 PROGRAMMATIC AGREEMENT ARCHAEOLOGY TEAM “NO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REQUIRED” FORM 1 of 8 21-01-0009 NO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REQUIRED FORM This form only pertains to ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES for this project. It is not valid for Historic Architecture and Landscapes. You must consult separately with the Historic Architecture and Landscapes Team. PROJECT INFORMATION Project No: US 64 Bridal Veil Falls County: Macon WBS No: 17014.1056011 Document: Federal CE Federal Aid No: 17014.1056011 Funding: State Federal Federal Permit Required? Yes No Permit Type: USFS, USACE, & FHWA Project Description: The project calls for the replacement of a culvert that carries an unnamed tributary to the Cullasaja River under US 64 at Bridal Veil Falls in Macon County. The archaeological Area of Potential Effects (APE) for the project is measured horizontally from the current road surface at approximately 280 feet (85.34 m) long, running 240 feet (73.15 m) north and 40 feet (12.19 m) south along US 64 from the center of the culvert. The APE extends approximately 40 to 45 feet (12.19 to 13.72 m) west from the edge of pavement which will allow for a temporary assess road to reach the culvert. APE also includes US 64 and extends approximately 20 feet (6.10 m) east of pavement to allow for road repair and additional gravel at the pull- offs. No ground disturbance is to occur upslope to the east along the rock face. In all, the APE encompasses approximately 0.6 acres. This project is federally funded. As a result, this archaeological review was conducted in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s Regulations for Compliance (36 CFR Part 800). SUMMARY OF CULTURAL RESOURCES REVIEW Brief description of review activities, results of review, and conclusions: The proposed culvert replacement project is at Bridal Veil Falls on US 64, which is located northwest of Highlands and southeast of Franklin in Macon County, North Carolina. The project area is plotted in the western half of the Highlands USGS 7.5' topographic quadrangle (Figure 1). A site file search was conducted using data from the Office of State Archaeology (OSA) on January 20, 2021. No previously recorded archaeological sites are within or adjacent to the APE, but three sites (31MA630, 31MA631, and 31MA632) are within a mile of the bridge. Shawn Jones, archaeologist with the National Forests in North Carolina (NFsNC), reviewed Forest Service files and found no new or significant information. According to the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) online data base (HPOWEB 2021), the project area is within the Study Listed boundaries for US 64 Highway (MA474) and the Webbmont Historic District (MA174). No contributing archaeological deposits to these Study Listed properties will be encountered. Topographic maps, USDA soil survey maps, aerial photographs (NC One Map), historic maps (North Carolina maps website), and Google Street View application were further examined for information on environmental and cultural variables that may have contributed to precontact or historic settlement within the project limits and to assess the level of ground disturbance. Finally, Shawn Jones and Scott Ashcraft with the NFsNC carried out a field reconnaissance on January 28, 2021 to assess the potential for archaeological resources. Project Tracking No. 2020 PROGRAMMATIC AGREEMENT ARCHAEOLOGY TEAM “NO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REQUIRED” FORM 2 of 8 21-01-0009 The archaeological APE is situated along a section of US 64 measuring approximately 280 feet (ca. 85 m) north-south by 85 feet (ca. 26 m) east-west (Figure 2). The culvert is located at the southern end of the APE and carries an unnamed tributary to the Cullasaja River under the road. The river is approximately 325 feet (ca. 99 m) to the west, while Bridal Veil Falls is immediately east. The waterways are part of the Little Tennessee drainage basin. The project area is located on NFsNC property with private property just outside to the east. The landform is characterized by steep hillside slopes. To the west of the road, the slope appears to consist of fill material with blasted rocks making up the water channel at the culvert. The road is situated on this fill material and/or has been cut into the hillside. An exposed rock face is present to the east at the falls. Much of this has been blasted as well to allow for an access road that runs behind the falls. The NFsNC field reconnaissance concurred that the project area is disturbed from previous highway construction and maintenance. No rock shelters or rock art were observed. Regardless, no impacts are to occur along the rock face to the east. A temporary access road will be constructed to the west along the fill that will allow for machinery to reach the culvert. The highway may be repair and new gravel added to the pull-off. The USDA soil survey map for Macon County identifies the project area as being composed of the Cullasaja- Tuckasegee (CuD; CuE) soil type (USDA NRCS 2020) (see Figure 2). This is a well drained series with a reported slope of 15 to 30 percent for the CuD variant and 30 to 50 percent for CuD. The steep slope of 15 percent or more is not considered ideal for early settlement activities and does not usually required shovel testing. However, the project area was visually inspected by NFsNC archaeologists for atypical features such as rock shelters and artwork with negative results. A review of the archaeological site files at OSA shows no previous investigations or sites within the APE and only three precontact sites (31MA630–31MA632) within a mile. All three are to the northwest and are supposedly situated on fairly level saddles along ridges (Fick et al. 2004). The sites are very similar yielding only a small number of lithic debitage from the surface with no evidence of subsurface deposits. Due to a lack of research potential, the sites have been recommended as ineligible for the National Register. In general, the site file review suggests the unlikelihood of significant resources within the project’s APE with all known sites in the nearby region found on landforms dissimilar from the current project setting. Furthermore, other types of archaeological resources that might be present such as rock shelters or rock art are also not reported from previous investigations in the general vicinity. A historic map review was also conducted for the project area. One of the earliest in which an approximate location can be determined is the 1907 USGS Cowee topographic map (Figure 3). This map depicts a road and the Callasaja River along with the identification that “Falls” are in the vicinity. However, the schematic nature with features slightly out of place makes exact determination of the project area difficult. It is very likely that the road alignment shown of the map is not the current road. The later 1933 soil map for Macon County displays a clearer road and river placement, which is similar to what is seen today (Figure 4) (Devereux et al. 1933). This map does not illustrate any structures near the current APE. The 1938 highway map for the county shows the same road alignment along with the Bridal Veil Falls, but again no structures are nearby (NCSHPWC 1938) (Figure 5). From the map review, it is not likely that remains of any historic structures will be encountered by the project. Brief Explanation of why the available information provides a reliable basis for reasonably predicting that there are no unidentified historic properties in the APE: The proposed culvert replacement project at Bridal Veil Falls on US 64 in Macon County is not likely to impact any significant archaeological resources. The hillsides are steep and appear to be made up of fill material road associated with past road construction activities. This was confirmed during a field reconnaissance by archeologist with NFsNC, which also saw no evidence for atypical features such as rock shelters or artwork. No impacts are to occur along the exposed rock face to the east. As a result, no archaeological survey work is recommended for this project. But if design plans change to affect subsurface areas beyond the defined APE, further archaeological consultation will be necessary. Project Tracking No. 2020 PROGRAMMATIC AGREEMENT ARCHAEOLOGY TEAM “NO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REQUIRED” FORM 3 of 8 21-01-0009 This project falls within a North Carolina County in which the Catawba Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Cherokee Nation, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, and Muscogee (Creek) Nation have expressed an interest. We recommend that you ensure that this documentation is forwarded to these tribes using the process described in the current NCDOT Tribal Protocol and PA Procedures Manual. SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION See attached: Map(s) Previous Survey Info Photos Correspondence Other: FINDING BY NCDOT ARCHAEOLOGIST: NO ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED February 1, 2021 C. Damon Jones Date NCDOT ARCHAEOLOGIST II Project Tracking No. 2020 PROGRAMMATIC AGREEMENT ARCHAEOLOGY TEAM “NO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REQUIRED” FORM 4 of 8 21-01-0009 REFERENCES CITED Devereux, Robert, William Davis, and Eugene Goldston 1933 Soil Map for Macon County, North Carolina. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Government Printing Office, Washington D.C. On file at North Carolina Collections, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Fick, Sarah, Nicole Southerland, and Michael Trinkley 2004 Cultural Resource Survey of the Cullasaja Gorge Project, Highlands Ranger District, Nantahala National Forest, Macon County, North Carolina. Chicora Foundation, Inc., Columbia, South Carolina. Submitted to the National Forest Service, USDA, Asheville, North Carolina. On file at the Office of State Archaeological, Raleigh, North Carolina. HPOWEB 2021 North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office GIS Web Service. http://gisNCDCR.gov/hpoweb/. Accessed January 25, 2021. North Carolina State Highway and Public Works Commission (NCSHPWC) 1938 North Carolina State Highway Map for Macon County. North Carolina State Highway and Public Works Commission, Raleigh. United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Services (USDA NRCS) 2021 Macon County Soil Survey. Available online at http://webosilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/. Accessed January 25, 2021. United States Geological Survey (USGS) 1907 Cowee, North Carolina-South Carolina 30 minute quadrangle map. Reprinted in 1934. 2016 Highland, North Carolina 7.5 minute quadrangle map. Project Tracking No. 2020 PROGRAMMATIC AGREEMENT ARCHAEOLOGY TEAM “NO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REQUIRED” FORM 5 of 8 21-01-0009 Figure 1. Topographic Setting of the Project Area, Highland (2016), NC USGS 7′5 Topographic Quadrangle. Project Tracking No. 2020 PROGRAMMATIC AGREEMENT ARCHAEOLOGY TEAM “NO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REQUIRED” FORM 6 of 8 21-01-0009 Figure 2. Aerial photograph of the APE showing development, contours, and soils. Project Tracking No. 2020 PROGRAMMATIC AGREEMENT ARCHAEOLOGY TEAM “NO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REQUIRED” FORM 7 of 8 21-01-0009 Figure 3. The 1907 Cowee USGS topographic map showing the location of the project area. Figure 4. The 1933 Soil Map for Macon County showing the location of the project area. Project Tracking No. 2020 PROGRAMMATIC AGREEMENT ARCHAEOLOGY TEAM “NO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REQUIRED” FORM 8 of 8 21-01-0009 Figure 5. The 1938 North Carolina State Highway Map for Macon County showing the location of the project area.