Cultural Resources Projects

Georgia DOT is responsible for reviewing GDOT projects and filing appropriate documentation to ensure that all projects comply with applicable federal and state historic preservation laws and regulations. The Cultural Resources Section's review of GDOT projects is generally conducted under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (if Federally funded or permitted) or the Georgia Environmental Policy Act (if State funded).

Georgia Statewide Cemetery Context

Cemetery Locator View Project

 

Section 106 Programmatic Agreement 
 

Section 106 Programmatic Agreement

The Georgia DOT must comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 for federal funding and permitting. Section 106 requires agencies to consider the effects of their actions upon historic resources listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places when planning projects. The agreement identifies the responsibilities of federal agencies and GDOT in complying with all terms and regulations.

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Project Location Description Date


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Special Projects

Long Swamp, A Traveling Exhibit

Cemetery Locator

A traveling exhibit showcasing the Mississippian artifact assemblage from Long Swamp, a multicomponent archaeological site in Cherokee County, Georgia.

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American Indian Guidebook for Georgia

Cemetery Locator

Tribal perspective on significance of Georgia and increased awareness of American Indian heritage and culture.

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Publications

Reports Location Author Year
A Preservation and Stabilization Plan for Battery Hamilton (9CH953)Chatham CountyShawn Patch, Eric Duff, Robert Thorne, John Ehrenhard and Chad Braley2003
Archaeological and Historical Investigations at Battery Hamilton (9CH953Chatham CountySoutheastern Archeological Services, Inc.2003
Archaeological Mitigation at the 17A Derelict Vessel Site on Back RiverChatham CountyTidewater Atlantic Research, Inc.2008
Athens/Clarke County: Rails to Trails Project: Georgia Railroad & Contributing PropertiesClarke CountyTrans Systems2012
Bridge Replacement on CR 52 over Willacoochee River and Overflow: Assessment of EffectsIrwin CountyGeorgia Department of Natural Resources - Historic Preservation Division2012
Bridge Replacement on CR 52 over Willacoochee River and Overflow: Concurrence LetterIrwin CountyGeorgia Department of Natural Resources - Historic Preservation Division2012
Cemetery Preservation Plan for the Dunwoody CemeteryMcIntosh CountyJ.W. Joseph, Hugh Matternes, and Greg Smith2014
Ground Penetrating Radar Investigations at Fort Frederica National MonumentGlynn CountyShawn Patch2005
Ground Penetrating Radar Investigations at Fort Pulaski National MonumentChatham CountyShawn Patch2014
Ground Penetrating Radar Investigations at the Jimmy Carter National Historic SiteSumter CountyTeresa Lotti2005
Ground Penetrating Radar Survey of Andersonville National Historic SiteSumter CountyJames Pomfret2005
Ground-Penetrating Radar Survey of a Jeffersonian Printing Press PlantMcDuffie CountySara Gale2008
Pleasant Hill Neighborhood: Pattern BookBibb CountyNew South Associates: Mary Beth Reed, Patrick Sullivan and Paul Simo2013
Remote Sensing and Further Testing at Site 9CH1205Chatham CountyPamela Baughman2010
SR 11 Bridge Replacement, Social Circle: Assessment of EffectsWalton CountyGeorgia DOT2013
SR 11 Bridge Replacement, Social Circle: History Reevaluation MemosWalton CountyGeorgia DOT2013
SR 11 Bridge Replacement, Social Circle: Memorandum of AgreementWalton CountyGeorgia DOT2013
SR 11 Bridge Replacement, Social Circle: SHPO ConcurrenceWalton CountyGeorgia DOT2013
Testing at the Kent's Mill Historic DistrictGlascock CountyTeresa Lotti2005
Vernonburg BookletChatham County New South Associates, Inc.2009
We Made A day: History and Archaeology of Tenancy on the L.E. Gay Plantation: Vol 1Randolph CountyNA2011
We Made A day: History and Archaeology of Tenancy on the L.E. Gay Plantation: Vol 2Randolph CountyNew South Associates2011
Out of the Ashes Mitigation BookletEffingham CountyElizabeth A. Clappin, Christine Q. Dawson2023
Vernonburg BookletChatham CountyNew South Associates, Inc.2009
Occasional Papers Location Author Year
Occasional Papers 01: Archaeological Investigations at 9CK(DOT)7Cherokee CountyWilliam R. Bowen1982
Occasional Papers 01: Archaeological Investigations at 9CK(DOT)7Cherokee CountyWilliam R. Bowen1982
Occasional Papers 02: Cagle Site Report: Archaic and Early Woodland Period Manifestations in the North Georgia PiedmontNAMorgan R. Crook, Jr.1987
Occasional Papers 03: Lowe Site Report: A Contribution to Archaeology of the Georgia Coastal PlainNAMorgan R. Crook, Jr.1987
Occasional Papers 04: Rush: An Early Woodland Period Site in Northwest GeorgiaNAW. Dean Wood and R. Jerald Ledbetter1990
Occasional Papers 05: A Few Visits in Prehistory: Data Recovery at 9RH18Randolph CountyChristopher T. Espenshade1993
Occasional Papers 06: The Pig Pen Site: Archeological Investigations at 9RI158Richmond CountyR. Jerald Ledbetter1988
Occasional Papers 07 Part 1a: Data Recovery at Lovers Lane, Phinizy Swamp and the Old Dike Sites, Bobby Jones Expressway Extension CorridorAugustaDaniel T. Elliott, R. Jerald Ledbetter, and Elizabeth A. Gordon1994
Occasional Papers 07 Part 1b: Data Recovery at Lovers Lane, Phinizy Swamp and the Old Dike Sites, Bobby Jones Expressway Extension CorridorAugustaDaniel T. Elliott, R. Jerald Ledbetter, and Elizabeth A. Gordon1994
Occasional Papers 07 Part 2: Data Recovery at Lovers Lane, Phinizy Swamp and the Old Dike Sites, Bobby Jones Expressway Extension CorridorAugustaDaniel T. Elliott, R. Jerald Ledbetter, and Elizabeth A. Gordon1994
Occasional Papers 08 Part 1: The Victory Drive Site, 9ME50Muscogee CountyR. Jerald Ledbetter1997
Occasional Papers 08 Part 2: The Victory Drive Site, 9ME50Muscogee CountyR. Jerald Ledbetter1997
Occasional Papers 09 Part 2: The Bull Creek Site, 9ME1Muscogee CountyR. Jerald Ledbetter1997
Occasional Papers 10: An Archeological Survey of the Shoulderbone TractHancock CountyThomas J. Pluckhahn1997
Occasional Papers 11: Prehistory of the Stuckey TractBleckley CountyScot Keith2006
Occasional Papers 12: Archeological and Historical Investigations at Battery Hamilton (9CH953)Chatham CountyChad O. Braley2003
Occasional Papers 13: The Early Vegetable Tanning Industry in Georgia: Archaeological Testing at the Clinton Tannery (09JO282)Jones CountyDaphne L. Owens and Daniel E. Battle2008
Occasional Papers 14: The Late Archaic to Early Woodland Transition in Northwest Georgia: Evidence for Terminal Archaic (ca. 1100 – 600 B.C.)NAJerald Ledbetter, Lisa D. O’Steen, and Scott Jones2009
Occasional Papers 15 Part 1: A Look Into the Outlands: The Cultural Landscape of the Dougherty Plain of GeorgiaNAJerald Ledbetter, Lisa D. O’Steen, and Scott Jones2009
Occasional Papers 15 Part 2: A Look Into the Outlands: The Cultural Landscape of the Dougherty Plain of GeorgiaNAR. Jeannine Windham, Johannes Loubser, and Mark Swanson2009
Occasional Papers 16: An Overview and Analysis of the Middle Archaic in GeorgiaNASudha Shah and Thomas Whitley2009
Occasional Papers 17: Bilbo (9CH4) and Delta (38JA23): Late Archaic and Early Woodland Shell Mounds at the Mouth of the Savannah RiverNAMorgan R. Crook, Jr.2009
Occasional Papers 20: Lincoln County Lost: Lincoln County Before the DamLincoln CountySharman Southall2010



Helpful Resources

This section aims to acquaint the consultant, as well as any project sponsors, consulting parties, or the general public, with the policies and procedures that guide the GDOT History and Archaeology Units (collectively Cultural Resources Section) in accomplishing its mission.  Below is a list of  links to sites discussing such topics as curation standards required for project collections, the Environmental Procedures Manual (EPM) as it guides work for GDOT’s Office of Environmental Services, prequalification procedures for new consultants, and training opportunities offered to all consultants.

In addition, this section details the responsibilities of the Cultural Resource section and provides a reference to the Laws and Regulations under which our work is accomplished.



The Georgia Department of Transportation strives to engage the public in learning about Georgia’s past. GDOT attempts to promote the study, preservation, conservation, and public understanding of the state’s vast history to the citizens of Georgia.


Student Center

To help achieve these goals, GDOT provides teaching trunks containing lesson plans and additional resources designed to help students learn more about archaeology and Georgia's history.

Teaching Trunk

Teaching trunks are available and provided by GDOT for primary grades and middle-high schools.   The teaching trunks provide hands-on archaeological experiences within a classroom setting and provide appropriate lesson plans defined to satisfy criteria for the Georgia Performance Standards.

Request Teaching Trunk

 

Career Day Visit

To inquire about the availability of GDOT archaeologists or historians for speaking engagements at Metro Atlanta schools, please contact archaeologist Haley Price (404) 973-4690.

Request Career Day Visit

 

Georgia Flashback

Georgia Flashback is a fun and engaging website that was developed for eighth-grade students in Georgia. This site includes a game that teaches students about Georgia history, architecture, and cultural geography.


When considering subsurface archaeological resources, it is often helpful (and sometimes necessary), to use equipment that allows the archaeologist to see below the surface without digging. When historic trolley or railroad tracks are below existing pavement, they can be accurately located and mapped using ground-penetrating radar. When hearths or the burned remains of living structures left behind by American Indians are expected at an archaeological site, magnetic gradiometry and resistivity methods allow the archaeologist to conduct wide-area subsurface investigation without destruction. When cemeteries are located within or in close proximity to project areas, all three geophysical methods are useful in determining their exact boundaries and ensuring their safety.

For these and many other purposes, the GDOT Archaeology Unit operates a GSSI SIR-3000 ground-penetrating radar, a Bartington Grad601 fluxgate gradiometer, and a Geoscan RM-15 Resistance meter. As professional archaeologists, our goal is to employ these methods whenever possible, both in our own projects and in projects being conducted by consultants working under contract with GDOT.


Method Descriptions

Ground-Penetrating Radar

Ground-penetrating radar is an active geophysical method that transmits electromagnetic energy waves into the ground and measures reflections off of interfaces between different subsurface properties. Since archaeological features typically have different physical or chemical compositions than their surrounding soil matrix, they will cause an energy wave reflection. Oftentimes this geophysical method is preferred as it collects data in three dimensions, allowing an archaeologist to measure both the vertical and horizontal extent of an archaeological feature.

Long Swamp GPR

Magnetic Gradiometry

Magnetic gradiometry is a passive geophysical method that measures and maps how the earth’s magnetic field interacts with subsurface magnetic fields. Past activities related to archaeological sites, particularly burning or concentrations of top soil, leave behind magnetic traces that are identifiable using this method. Archaeological feature types that are often distinguishable in magnetic gradiometry data are ditches, hearths, storage pits, and structural foundations. One major benefit of this method is relatively fast survey speed compared with other geophysical methods.

Douthi

Electrical Resistivity

Electrical resistivity is an active geophysical method that introduces an electrical current into the ground and assesses how resistant the soils are to allowing the current to pass though. As with the other two methods, it is dependent upon soil conditions and the types of buried archaeological resources. Electrical resistance varies between types of soil and archaeological features. For example, a grave that retains moisture will be less resistive to an electrical current than a stone foundation wall.

Chattooga Res Mag

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