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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20210191 Ver 1_R.147 Archaeological No Survey Required Form_20210808 Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 1 of 10 19-01-0008 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: na County: Stanly WBS No: 17BP.10.R.147 Document: MCC F.A. No: na Funding: State Federal Federal Permit Required? Yes No Permit Type: USACE Project Description: The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Division 10 intends to replace Bridge No. 35 on SR 1134, Millingport Road, over Long Creek southwest of Richfield. No preliminary designs were available at the time of the archaeological screening, but a study area for the project was submitted that measured 713.35 feet (nearly 217.43 meters) long and 200 feet (60.96 meters) wide. This study area encompasses nearly 3.28 acres (almost 1.33 hectares). The establishment of an area of potential effects (APE) for the proposed project is discussed below. SUMMARY OF CULTURAL RESOURCES REVIEW Brief description of review activities, results of review, and conclusions: In 2015, a request for archaeological screening was submitted for the proposed replacement of Bridge No. 35 on SR 1134, Millingport Road, over Long Creek (TIP No. B-5537; PA No. 15-02-0048). On March 26, 2015, a reconnaissance investigation was recommended for the proposed bridge replacement project. At that time, aerial photography and historic mapping were interpreted to suggest an earlier road crossing or mill features to the north of the existing transportation features. It was also noted that the project was in close proximity to the recorded locations of the Miller House (ST0079), The Alonzo Miller Roadside House (ST0081) and opposite the study-listed Henderson Rogers Farm. This assessment was further reinforced by the results of the historic architecture survey, which was conducted in July 2015 by NCDOT architectural historian, Kate Husband, who noted the remains of a mill dam “just north of the bridge”. Those remains were note considered to be an eligible resource for the purposes of the historic architecture survey. This archaeological reconnaissance survey was conducted on March 10, 2017, by NCDOT archaeologists Shane Petersen and Brian Overton. The investigation included a visual inspection of the entire proposed APE. The existing 60-foot ROW along SR 1134 is characterized by severe disturbances associated with the construction and maintenance of the extant transportation facilities. These disturbances include grading, ditching, and cut banks, as well as presumed areas of fill. In the areas immediately adjacent existing ROW, much of the APE is dominated by sloped landforms with a narrow alluvial terrace at the base of the slope. No subsurface testing was deemed necessary for the proposed APE, and it is considered very unlikely that any archaeological resources of significance would remain intact within those areas. As reported by Husband, the remains of a mill complex are clearly visible to the north of Bridge No. 35. An examination of historic mapping isn’t definitive about the date that the mill first appears; the mill pond can clearly be seen on the 1920 Rural Delivery Map for Stanly County and the structures that are presumable associated with the mill building are illustrated on the 1938 State Highway Map for Stanly Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 2 of 10 19-01-0008 County straddling Long Creek. The earliest mapping identified depicting the mill pond, however, was the 1916 Soil Map for Stanly County. There is some evidence that Millingport road may have been originally oriented slightly farther north than the existing alignment (at least of the eastern side of Long Creek) prior to 1970, when the existing bridge was constructed. Some of the earlier mapping, including earlier United States Geologic Service maps, suggests the alignment might have been further north. The area immediately adjacent ROW to the north of SR 1134 and east of Long Creek appears to be graded as if it was once a road bed. Additionally, along the north side of SR 1134, but to the west of Long Creek, an old ROW marker was noted roughly 17 feet (more than 5 meters) from the edge of pavement along Millingport Road. In any case, extant features observed included remnants of the stone dam, the stone and concrete mill foundation (including what appeared to be a possible turbine bay), and concrete piers. No mill machinery was observed on site. These features, recorded as site 31ST243**, were photographed and mapped via GPS. Site 31ST243** was originally determined to lay well outside the proposed project area for B- 5537; the closest feature (a concrete pier) is located more than 67 feet (nearly 21 meters) north of the edge of pavement on SR 1134 and nearly 33 feet (about 10 meters) north of the then-proposed APE. The exception to this earlier assessment lies in the mill dam. The westernmost end of the dam extended into the proposed ROW for B-5537 and ties into the existing easement along SR 1448, Miller Road. Cut-and- fill lines depicted on designs for the B-5537 project were located immediately adjacent the mapped end of the dam. Impacts associated with improvements to the SR 11334/SR1448 intersection to the mill dam based on the B-5537 designs were considered insignificant in 2017 (though a very small portion will be located in the new ROW). To the southwest of Bridge No. 35, a cinder-block retaining wall/foundation remnant was observed at the outside edge of the proposed APE (but outside proposed cut-and-fill lines). It is likely that these structural remains are a good deal younger than the mill on Long Creek, although it is possible that the structure was related at some point in the past. These structural remains were photographed and mapped via GPS in the same way that 31ST243** was recorded, although they were not considered likely to be impacted by the B-5537 designs either. The current study area for the bridge replacement is considerably larger than the 1.9-acre area encompassed by the APE in 2017 based on the B-5537 designs. Based on consultation with engineering staff at NCDOT Division 10 (vis email on January 16, 2019), the APE for B-5537 will be considered to be the current APE rather than the submitted study area for the purposes of this archaeological screening. Given the location of the significant portions of 31ST243** well outside the proposed APE, this site is not expected to be impacted by the current project. As per the conclusions of a meeting with the review staff at the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology (OSA) on April 20, 2017, a site for m will be completed and submitted to OSA. But, neither further archaeological or documentary investigations, nor attempts to determine the eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places of 31ST243** will be undertaken as a result of the bridge replacement project as currently proposed. The bridge replacement project, as currently proposed, will be considered to be compliant with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and North Carolina General Statute 121-12(a). No further archaeological investigations are required for the project within the area established as the current APE. Should the project change to include a larger footprint than covered by the current APE, further consultation will be necessary. If the proposed project expands into the core portions of the mill site, a full evaluation of National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility will be required for site 31ST243**. In the unlikely event that archaeological remains are encountered during the bridge replacement project, work should cease in that area and the NCDOT Archaeology Group should be notified immediately. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 3 of 10 19-01-0008 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 original APE was subjected to archaeological examination on March 10, 2017 and cultural features in that vicinity were documented. This original APE, as outlined above, is considered to be the current APE for the proposed project. No additional archaeological resources of significance are expected within this area and no further investigations should be necessary as long as the APE does not expand from the 2017 limits. SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION See attached: Map(s) Previous Survey Info Photos Correspondence Other: soil map FINDING BY NCDOT ARCHAEOLOGIST NO ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED February 14, 2019 NCDOT ARCHAEOLOGIST Date Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 4 of 10 19-01-0008 Aerial photograph with 2-contours of the location for the APE (light green lines) for the proposed replacement of Bridge No. 35 on SR 1134; note the APE for B-5537 (red lines), cultural (structural) features including at site 31ST243** (orange crosshatched polygons), the old ROW marker (yellow dot), and the historic Miller House location (blue dot). Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 5 of 10 19-01-0008 View of Bridge No. 35 and the proposed APE at the intersection of Millingport Road and Miller Road (facing east). View of Bridge No. 35 from the north side of SR 1134 adjacent the Miller House property (facing west). Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 6 of 10 19-01-0008 Cinder-block foundation cut into the ridge-slope southwest of Bridge No. 35 (facing southwest). View of mill remains from deck of Bridge No. 35 (facing north). Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 7 of 10 19-01-0008 Detail of the 1920 Rural Delivery Routes Map illustrating the location of the millpond along Long Creek (red circle) at the project location. Detail of the 1938 Stanly County Highway Map illustrating the location of the mill complex on Long Creek (red circle) at the project location. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 8 of 10 19-01-0008 Detail of the 1916 Soil Map for Stanly County illustrating the location of the mill pond along Long Creek at the project area (red circle). View of the eastern terminus of the proposed project adjacent the Miller House and a possible earlier road cut at the crossing of Long Creek. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 9 of 10 19-01-0008 View of concrete support piers south of the concrete and stone mill foundation (facing north). Concrete mill foundation wall, stone dam, and possible turbine bay (facing west). Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 10 of 10 19-01-0008 Rock wall mill foundation along Long Creek with Bridge No. 35 in background (facing southwest). Stone mill dam along Long Creek at breach (facing southeast).