Phase la Archaeological Survey for the Additional Right-of-Way for the Proposed Intersection Improvement on SR 42 at County Road 1150 West and County Road 500 North, Morgan County, Indiana.

Abstract

At the request of the Indiana Department of Transportation, the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Office of Cultural Resource Management (GBL-OCRM), Indiana University, conducted a Phase Ia archaeological reconnaissance survey of the location for additional right of-way for the proposed intersection improvement on SR 42 at County Road 1150 West and County Road 500 North in Morgan County, Indiana. The proposed location for additional right-of-way (approximately 40 meters north to south by 400 meters east to west) is located at the intersection of SR 42 at County Road 1150 West and County Road 500 North which is 2.4 km (1.5 miles) west of SR 142 in Morgan County. Approximately 1.2 acres were surveyed. The purposes of survey were 1) to identify and document all of the cultural resources in the project area, 2) to evaluate any sites found with regard to their eligibility for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures (IRHSS), and 3) to make recommendations for the protection of significant and potentially significant cultural resources. Fieldwork was conducted June 17 and 18, 2002 by GBL archaeologists Daniel C. Seib, Tamara Hull, Amy Haluska, and Ruth Heronemus. One previously unrecorded archaeological site, 12 Mg 302 was discovered within the proposed project area (Figure 2). Site 12 Mg 302 is an isolated find consisting of a single chert core of unknown age and cultural affiliation. Given the paucity of artifacts and lack of temporal and cultural affiliation, it is the opinion of the GBL-OCRM that 12 Mg 302 is ineligible for the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures (IRHSS) or the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Thus, it is the opinion of the GBL-OCRM that no additional archaeological work is required. Cultural resource clearance is therefore recommended for the proposed right-of-way, provided that all earth-moving activities are restricted to the currently defined project area boundaries.