Archaeological Survey for Added Travel Lanes on SR 135 from Stones Crossing Road North to just South of County Road 850N in Johnson County, Indiana

Abstract

At the request of the Indiana Department of Transportation (InDOT), the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Indiana University (GBL) conducted a Phase Ia archaeological reconnaissance survey for the proposed addition of travel lanes on State Road 135 from Stones Crossing Road north to just south of County Road 850N in Johnson County, Indiana. The proposed project corridor includes 1) approximately 1.5 miles of land along the east and west sides of SR 135, 2) approximately 400 meters of land along the north and south sides of CR 700N (Stones Crossing Road), with segments extending roughly 200 meters to the east and 200 meters to the west of its intersection with SR 135, 3) approximately 144 meters of land along the north and south sides of CR 750N (Demaree Road), extending east from its intersection with SR 135, and 4) approximately 194 meters of land along the north and south sides of CR 800N (Olive Branch Road), extending west from its intersection with SR 135. Rights-of-way within the proposed project corridor average about 17 meters in width (measured from the center line, both sides of the road). The purposes of the 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), and3) to make recommendations for the protection of significant and potentially significant sites. Fieldwork was conducted November 13, 2000 by GBL archaeologists Mary E. Pirkl and Daniel C. Seib. No cultural materials, or evidence for buried cultural deposits, .were discovered during the course of survey. Based upon the results of Phase Ia reconnaissance survey, it is unlikely that the proposed road construction will have a negative impact on cultural resources within the project area. Cultural resource clearance is therefore recommended for the proposed road construction project, provided that all earth-moving activities are restricted to the currently defined project area boundaries.