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Home My WebLink About20210300 Ver 1_Macon County - B43 - Archaeology_20210708 Project Tracking No.: “NO NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBLE OR LISTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES PRESENT” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2007 Programmatic Agreement. 1 of 11 16-02-0064 Revised NO NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES ELIGIBLE OR LISTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES PRESENT 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: B-5919 County: Macon WBS No: 17BP.14.R.210 Document: CE F.A. No: BRZ-1635(002) Funding: State Federal Federal Permit Required? Yes No Permit Type: FHWA, USACE Project Description: The project calls for the replacement of Bridge No. 43 on SR 1635 (Middle Creek Road) over Middle Creek in Macon County. The archaeological Area of Potential Effects (APE) for the project is defined as a 600-foot (182.88 m) long corridor running 300 feet (91.44 m) north and 300 feet south along Middle Creek Road from the center of the bridge. The corridor is approximately 150 feet (45.72 m) wide extending 75 ft. (22.86 m) on either side of the road from its present center. Project was resubmitted in June 2019 due to a change in funding from state to federal. SUMMARY OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Archaeology Group reviewed the subject project and determined: There are no National Register listed or eligible ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES present within the project’s area of potential effects. (Attach any notes or documents as needed) No subsurface archaeological investigations were required for this project. Subsurface investigations did not reveal the presence of any archaeological resources. Subsurface investigations did not reveal the presence of any archaeological resources considered eligible for the National Register. All identified archaeological sites located within the APE have been considered and all compliance for archaeological resources with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and GS 121-12(a) has been completed for this project. Project Tracking No.: “NO NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBLE OR LISTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES PRESENT” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2007 Programmatic Agreement. 2 of 11 16-02-0064 Revised RECOMMENDATION TRC Environmental Corporation (TRC) conducted an archaeological survey and evaluation for the proposed replacement of Bridge No. 43 on SR 1635 (Middle Creek Road) over Middle Creek in Macon County. The fieldwork was carried out in May 2016 by Michael Nelson. No archaeological sites were identified during the course of this survey within the currently defined APE. As a result, TRC recommends no further archaeological investigations are needed for this project. Design plans were submitted in June 2016 and did not exceed the archaeological APE. Funding for this project has however changed from state to federal. The project was completed to the federal standards and the results are still valid. I concur with this recommendation as the proposed bridge replacement project will not impact significant archaeological resources. If the project expands and impacts subsurface areas beyond the defined APE, further archaeological consultations will be necessary. In addition, copies of the original “No National Register of Historic Places Eligible or Listed Archaeological Sites Present” PA form were provided to The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians as part of an anticipated Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) 26(a) permit to assist in Section 106 compliance. It is believed this permit is no longer required. SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION See attached: Map(s) Previous Survey Info Photos Correspondence Other: Cultural Review Signed: 6/21/19 C. Damon Jones Date NCDOT ARCHAEOLOGIST Project Tracking No.: “NO NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBLE OR LISTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES PRESENT” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2007 Programmatic Agreement. 3 of 11 16-02-0064 Revised Brief description of review activities, results of review, and conclusions: TRC has conducted an intensive archaeological survey and evaluation for the replacement of Bridge No. 43 over Middle Creek on SR 1635 (Middle Creek Road) in southern Macon County; the project area is located near the western edge of the Scaly Mountain USGS 7.5' topographic quadrangle. As defined by NCDOT, the survey area (Area of Potential Effects [APE]) for archaeology is a 600-foot (182.88 m) long corridor running 300 feet (91.44 m) north and 300 feet south along Middle Creek Road from the center of the bridge. The corridor is approximately 150 feet (45.72 m) wide extending 75 feet (22.86 m) on either side of the road from its present center (Figure 1). Background Research Previously Recorded Sites: A map review and site files search was conducted by Michael Nelson of TRC at the Office of State Archaeology (OSA) Western Branch on April 21, 2016 and supplemented a previous NCDOT review. There are two previously recorded sites (31MA114 and 31MA115) within a one mile radius of the project area according to OSA; neither is within or adjacent to the project APE. Site31MA114 is a small Archaic lithic scatter located in an open field, northeast of Middle Creek and its confluence with a smaller unnamed drainage north of the current project area. Site 31MA115 is located at the confluence of Middle Creek and Smart Branch well to the south of the current project area and consists of non-diagnostic prehistoric ceramic and lithic artifacts from a plowed field. Historic Map Review: Topographic and other historic period maps were examined for information on natural or cultural variables that might have affected site locations. The Price and Strother map (1808) does not depict any information west of Buncombe County. The MacRae-Brazier map (1833) depicts Franklin and the Little Tennessee River along with a state road to the south, but no detail of the approximate project area. The Kerr map (1882) also provides no detail in the project area. The 1907 Cowee topographic quadrangle depicts Middle Creek, a road crossing the creek, and a structure adjacent to the road just east of the crossing (Figure 2); given the scale, however, the structure may or may not have been located within the APE. The 1910s Macon County rural delivery routes map (Figure 3) depicts a similar crossing, but suggests that the structure was farther to the south; the 1933 Macon County soils map (Figure 4) depicts a similar layout, but suggests that the structure was likely outside the APE (given the slope east of Middle Creek Road, it is extremely unlikely that a structure could have been present in that area). The 1935 Scaly Mountain topographic map (USGS 1935; Figure 5) does not depict a structure in the immediate vicinity. Soil Types: Four soil types are mapped within the APE. The floodplain is composed of Reddies fine sandy loam (ReA) and Rosman fine sandy loam (RsA), which are moderately well drained to well drained, nearly level, and subject to frequent flooding. As a result, they are ideally suited for early settlement activities. The side and toe slopes of the hillside are comprised of Saunook loam (ScC) or gravelly loam (SbD) and the Evard-Cowee complex (EvE). These soils are also well drained, but slope varies. ScC is on the toe slope south of the bridge and typically slopes 8 to 15 percent. SbD is found on the hillside just to the southeast and slopes 15 to 30 percent. The remaining hillside is mapped as the Evard-Cowee complex and is much steeper at 30 to 50 percent. Field Work Results The archaeological field survey included shovel test placements (STPs) at 15-m intervals across the southwest and northwest quadrants within the APE (Figures 6–8); the southeast quadrant (Figure 9) is severely sloped and contains a gravel drive, while the northeast quadrant (Figure 10) contains Middle Project Tracking No.: “NO NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBLE OR LISTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES PRESENT” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2007 Programmatic Agreement. 4 of 11 16-02-0064 Revised Creek and sloped banks. No shovel testing occurred in either the southeast or northeast quadrants. Five shovel tests (#96–100) were excavated in the southwest quadrant at the edge of an overgrown field, and eight shovel tests (#158–165) were excavated in the northwest quadrant, which is located in a sparsely wooded grassy area. The shovel tests measured 30 cm in diameter and were excavated to subsoil or bedrock or a minimum depth of 75 cm below surface (cmbs). All soils that were not obvious fill were dry-screened through ¼- inch mesh. Standard techniques were used to describe each shovel test in terms of depth, stratigraphy, and artifact recovery. Soils within the southwest quadrant consisted of a yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) to dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) clay loam plowzone extending to 27–33 cmbs; that stratum overlay dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay loam that became more clayey at depths of 60 to 75 cmbs. Soils within the northwest quadrant consisted of a thick plowzone of dark brown (10YR 3/3) loam extending to 40 to 57 cmbs; it overlay dark brown (10YR 3/3) sandy loam to depths varying from 75 to 100 cmbs. This was followed by dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, which extended to the water table at approximately 159 cmbs. Three shovel tests (#161–163) contained a buried plowzone consisting of dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) loamy sand. No artifacts were recovered from the buried plowzone; small amounts of modern debris (i.e., plastic and modern beer bottle glass) were observed in the modern plowzone, but were not collected. No cultural artifacts were found in any shovel tests and no above-ground cultural features were noted within the APE. CONCLUSION Based on the results of the background research and field survey, there is no evidence that NRHP-eligible archaeological resources are situated within the Bridge No. 43 APE. Consequently, no additional archaeological investigations are recommended for this project as currently defined. Michal Nelson Archaeologist, Asheville TRC Environmental Corporation Project Tracking No.: “NO NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBLE OR LISTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES PRESENT” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2007 Programmatic Agreement. 5 of 11 16-02-0064 Revised REFERENCES Devereaux, R E., E.F. Goldston, and W.A. Davis 1933 Soil Survey of Macon County, North Carolina. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. Kerr, W.C. 1882 Map of North Carolina. North Carolina State Board of Agriculture. http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ncmaps/id/537. MacRae, John, and Robert H.B. Brazier 1833 A New Map of the State of North Carolina. http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ncmaps/id /181/rec/1. Price, Jonathan, and John Strother 1808 First Actual Survey of North Carolina. http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ncmaps/id /520/rec/1. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 1907 Cowee, N.C./S.C., 15-minute topographic map (1:125,000). 1935 Scaly-Mountain, N.C., 7.5-minute planimetric map (1:24,000). U.S. Post Office 1910s Rural Delivery Routes, Macon County, North Carolina. http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ncmaps/id/ 1733/rec/1. Project Tracking No.: “NO NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBLE OR LISTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES PRESENT” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2007 Programmatic Agreement. 6 of 11 16-02-0064 Revised Figure 1. Location of the Bridge 43 APE in Macon County, North Carolina. Project Tracking No.: “NO NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBLE OR LISTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES PRESENT” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2007 Programmatic Agreement. 7 of 11 16-02-0064 Revised Figure 2. Bridge 43 project area as shown on 1907 USGS Cowee quadrangle. Figure 3. Bridge 43 project area as shown on 1910s Rural Delivery map. Project Tracking No.: “NO NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBLE OR LISTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES PRESENT” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2007 Programmatic Agreement. 8 of 11 16-02-0064 Revised Figure 4. Bridge 43 project area as shown on 1933 Macon County soils map. Figure 5. Bridge 43 project area as shown on 1935 USGS planimetric map. Project Tracking No.: “NO NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBLE OR LISTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES PRESENT” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2007 Programmatic Agreement. 9 of 11 16-02-0064 Revised Figure 6. Bridge 43; map of APE showing shovel test locations. Project Tracking No.: “NO NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBLE OR LISTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES PRESENT” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2007 Programmatic Agreement. 10 of 11 16-02-0064 Revised Figure 7. Bridge 43 APE; northwest quadrant, facing east. Figure 8. Bridge 43 APE; southwest quadrant, facing southeast. Project Tracking No.: “NO NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBLE OR LISTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES PRESENT” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2007 Programmatic Agreement. 11 of 11 16-02-0064 Revised Figure 9. Bridge 43 APE; Middle Creek and sloped bank in northeast quadrant, facing northeast. Figure 10. Bridge 43 APE; slope in southeast quadrant, facing southeast.