Phase Ia Archaeological Survey for Pavement repair or rehabilitation on SR 238 from junction SR 13 to I-69, Hancock and Hamilton County, Indiana

Abstract

At the request of the Indiana Department of Transportation, the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Indiana University (GBL) conducted a Phase Ia archaeological reconnaissance survey of the proposed pavement repair and rehabilitation on SR 238 from junction SR 13 to 1-69 in Hancock and Hamilton Counties, Indiana. The project area consists of a five mile long corridor along SR 238. A total of 35 acres were surveyed for this project. Approximately 34.13 acres were tested using a shovel probe survey. Approximately 0.87 acres were tested by a systematic visual survey. The purposes of survey were 1) to identity 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 sites within the project area. Fieldwork was conducted on June 21 through August 10, 2001 by GBL archaeologists George Mankowski, K. Suthers, D. Seib, A. Helms, S. Person, D. Osborne, C. Andres, J. Aprile, and S. Wille. A total of twelve previously unrecorded sites were documented. It is the opinion of the GBL that the twelve new sites recorded during this Phase Ia survey are not eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures (IRHSS). The sites are representative of low density upland lithic scatters and small historic domestic assemblages. The current level of testing has likely exhausted the information that could be obtained from further effort. Cultural resource clearance is therefore recommended for the proposed highway construction project impact area, provided that all earth-moving activities are restricted to the currently delineated project area boundaries.