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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20210694 Ver 1_Bridge 57 No Archaeological Survey Required PA 19-04-0018_20210518 Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 1 of 12 19-04-0018 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 Group. PROJECT INFORMATION Project No: Bridge 57 County: Haywood WBS No: 44593.1.1 Document: PCE F.A. No: not known as of yet Funding: State Federal Federal Permit Required? Yes No Permit Type: USACE, USFS, FHWA Project Description: The project calls for the replacement of Bridge No. 57 on I-40 over Cold Spring Creek and Road and a nearby waste site in Haywood County. The archaeological Area of Potential Effects (APE) for the project is defined as an approximately 2,600-foot (792.48 m) long corridor on I-40 running 1,050 feet (320.04 m) north and 1,550 feet (472.44 m) south from the center of the bridge. The APE also extends 600 feet (182.88 m) east along Cold Spring Creek Road from the bridge. The corridor is 400 to 750 feet (121.92 to 228.60 m) wide extending 200 feet (60.96 m) to either side of I-40, its ramps, and Cold Spring Creek Road. This section of the APE covers approximately 33 acres. The waste site is located half a mile (.8 km) west of the project area for replacement of Bridge No. 57. It is situated on the west side of I-40 between the Pigeon River and road. It measures approximately 1,200 feet (365.76 m) north-south by 475 feet (144.78 m) east-west covering approximately 12 acers. SUMMARY OF CULTURAL RESOURCES REVIEW Brief description of review activities, results of review, and conclusions: The proposed Bridge 57 replacement and waste site project is located just south of the Tennessee Stateline and north of Waynesville in Haywood County, North Carolina. The project area is plotted in the northeast corner of the Cove Creek Gap USGS 7.5' topographic quadrangle (Figure 1). A site file search was conducted by Casey Kirby at the Office of State Archaeology (OSA) on April 25, 2019. No previously recorded archaeological sites were identified within the APE, but 26 sites (31HW254, 31HW259, 31HW260–31HW265, 31HW268, 31HW411–31HW414, 31HW465–31HW468, 31HW470, 31HW471, 31HW493, 31HW494, 31HW593, 31HW594, 31HW602, 31HW613, and 31HW615) are within a mile of the project area. According to the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) online data base (HPOWEB 2019), there are no known historic architectural resources within the APE that may yield intact archaeological deposits. Topographic maps, USDA soil survey maps, aerial photographs (NC One Map, NCDOT historic aerials, USDA), 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 prehistoric or historic settlement within the project limits and to assess the level of ground disturbance. Portions of the project area are location on USFS property. Therefore, a field reconnaissance was conducted on May 21, 2019 to visually inspect the properties. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 2 of 12 19-04-0018 The project area at Bridge 57 consist mostly of cut hillside slopes bisected by a narrow drainageway (Figure 2). Cold Spring Creek flows into the Pigeon River, which is immediately to the west. These waterways are part of the French Broad drainage basin. A review of historic aerial photographs prior to the construction of I-40 show unimproved roads following the alignment similar to Cold Spring Creek Road and I-40. The properties have been clear cut in many early images and the slope appears to extend to the water’s edge. After the construction of I-40, exposed rock from blasting and hillside cutting is visible covering the slopes within the APE on photos from the 1970s. Field observations confirmed this as property to the east of I-40 is very steeply sloped with rock face hillsides resulting from the road cut (Figures 3 and 4). No evidences of rock shelters were seen. The area to the east of I-40 is either steeply sloped as well or covered in fill material. The fill section is alongside a US Forest Service Road that runs between I-40 and the Pigeon River (Figure 5). The waste area to the west of Bridge 57 is referred to as the Cotton Patch. It is situated on a stream terrace in the bend of the Pigeon River (Figure 6). Early aerial photos suggest the terrace was smaller than its current size. Hillside slope extended slight further west and the river channel was larger. With the construction of I-40, the slope was cut for the road and fill was deposited onto the terrace and into the channel. The area has been used as a waste site for construction activities associated with I-40 in the past and is currently filled with rubble from past landslides, concrete barriers, and other roadway items (Figures 7 and 8). This was confirmed during the field reconnaissance. It is very unlikely any intact archaeological resources are present due to the severe disturbance associated with the construction of I-40 in either location. The USDA soil survey map for Haywood County shows the APE at Bridge 57 and the waste site encompassed almost entirely by the Udorthents-Urban land complex (Ud) (USDA NRCS 2019) (see Figures 2 and 3). These are modified soils that have been subjected to cut and fill activities to the point where the natural characteristics no longer exists. Other soils types found to a lesser extent along the periphery of the APE include the Brasstown-Junaluska complex (BsE), the Rock Outcrop-Cataska complex (RgF), and the Soco-Stecoah complex (SoF). These all have a slope of 30 to 95 percent. Slope of 15 percent or more is not usually tested. Based upon the aerial photographic evidence and the field reconnaissance, the Udorthents-Urban land complex very likely extends into these other soil types. The Udorthents-Urban land complex does not require subsurface testing since significant archaeological resources are doubtful. Known archaeological sites in the region are not rare with 26 sites being reported (31HW254, 31HW259, 31HW260–31HW265, 31HW268, 31HW411–31HW414, 31HW465–31HW468, 31HW470, 31HW471, 31HW493, 31HW494, 31HW593, 31HW594, 31HW602, 31HW613, and 31HW615) within a mile of the project. These sites are all located on Forest Service property and were recorded by Forest Service archaeologist. They are situated on ridge tops or in saddles between ridges. No previous surveys have been carried out within the current project area, and little work has been conducted along the Pigeon River in the nearby vicinity. Although more work is need along the major drainages, the area will not yield significant results for archaeological resources due to disturbance from prior road works. A map review also failed to provide any significant historical information. Most early maps prior to the 20th century show few details concerning the project area. The 1893 USGS Mt Guyot topographic map is one of the first to display a reliable location for the project (Figure 9). This map depicts a road similar to Cold Spring Creek Road, but few structures are plotted. The later 1925 Soil Map for Haywood County provides the same picture (Jurney et al. 1925) (Figure 10). However, the 1936 USGS Cove Creek Gap map illustrates roads or trials along the alignment of I-40 and Cold Spring Creek Road. It also shows the Big Bend School at the waste site location and a household just north of the Cold Spring Creek’s confluence with the Pigeon River (Figure 11). The school was in operation for three years and closed in 1937 due to funding (Waynesville Mountaineer 1937). It was built under the Emergency Relief Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 3 of 12 19-04-0018 Administration (ERA) for North Carolina from matieral removed from a lumber company office building (Kirk et al. 1936:177) (Figure 12). The ERA report states: The Big Bend community is made up of twelve families marooned in an inaccessible part of the county. To reach this community, it is necessary to walk twelve miles after going as far as possible in a car. Not even a mule can go up the trail. Since the trestle of the old lumber railroad washed out the pedestrian has to let himself down from rock to rock by hanging on to roots and shrubs until he reaches the stream, then cross by rocks, if the stream is low, and pull himself up the other side by roots and shrubs. This is the only way ERA case workers could reach these families. There is no other school within a radius of nine miles and this building is the first school in this section in eighteen or twenty years. There is now a full time school teacher and approximately twenty-five children in attendance at the school. The school building and the nearby house were likely salvaged as by 1941 they are no longer depicted on any maps. No evidence of former structures was observed during the field inspection. Finally, I-40 appears on various maps during the 1960s. Although the school was established as a high priority for the community, it did not function for long due to a lack of resources. It along with any other possible early 20th century structures are typically for the time period and will not provide any new information towards the region’s history. It is not likely from this review that any significant historic resources are present. 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 Bridge 57 replacement and waste site project in Haywood County is not likely to impact any significant archaeological resources. This is due to severe disturbance from cut hillsides and the deposit of fill associated with the construction of I-40. Historic resources that might have once stood within the project limits are not considered significant, and no resource were identified during the field reconnaissance. No further archaeological 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. SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION See attached: Map(s) Previous Survey Info Photos Correspondence Photocopy of County Survey Notes Other: FINDING BY NCDOT ARCHAEOLOGIST NO ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED 5/23/19 C. Damon Jones Date NCDOT ARCHAEOLOGIST Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 4 of 12 19-04-0018 REFERENCES CITED Jurney, Robert Campbell, William Lee, Samuel Davidson, William Davis 1925 Soil Map for Haywood 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. HPOWEB 2019 North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office GIS Web Service. http://gisNCDCR.gov/hpoweb/. Accessed May 13, 2019. Kirk, Jacob, Alter Cutter, and Thomas Morse (editors) 1936 Emergency Relief in North Carolina. A Record of the Development of the Activities of the North Carolina Emergency Relief Administration, 1932-1935. North Carolina Emergency Relief Commission, Raleigh, NC. United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Services (USDA NRCS) 2019 Haywood County Soil Survey. Available online at http://webosilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/. Accessed May 10, 2019. United States Geological Survey (USGS) 1893 Mt Guyot, Tennessee-North Carolina 30 minute quadrangle map. Reprinted in 1906. 1936 Cove Creek Gap, North Carolina 7.5 minute quadrangle map. 2013 Cove Creek Gap, North Carolina 7.5 minute quadrangle map. Waynesville Mountaineer 1937 County Makes Net Gain of 3 Teachers for Coming Term. Fifty-Third Year, No. 26, Waynesville, NC. Thursday, July 8, 1937. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 5 of 12 19-04-0018 Figure 1. Topographic Setting of the Project Area, Cove Creek Gap (2013), NC USGS 7′5 Topographic Quadrangle. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 6 of 12 19-04-0018 Figure 2. Aerial photograph of the APE at Bridge 57 showing development, contours, and soils. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 7 of 12 19-04-0018 Figure 3. View of the steep cut slope northeast of Bridge No. 57, looking north. Figure 4. View of the steep cut slope southeast of Bridge No. 57, looking south. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 8 of 12 19-04-0018 Figure 5. General View of the Forest Service Road between I-40 and the Pigeon River with a gravel pull- off to the west, looking north Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 9 of 12 19-04-0018 Figure 6. Aerial photograph of the APE at the Waste Site showing development, contours, and soils. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 10 of 12 19-04-0018 Figure 7. General View of rubble from past landsides on I-40, looking west. Figure 8. General View of concrete barriers that are stacked on the property, looking north. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 11 of 12 19-04-0018 Figure 9. The 1893 USGS Mt Guyot topographic map showing the location of the project area. Figure 10. The 1925 Soil Map for Haywood County showing the location of the project area. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 12 of 12 19-04-0018 Figure 11. The 1936 USGS Cove Creek Gap map showing the location of the project area. Figure 12. Big Bend Schoolhouse from the 1936 from Emergency Relief in North Carolina report.