Archaeological Survey of the Proposed Location for a Borrow Pit, east of Westport, Decatur County, Indiana

Abstract

At the request of L. L. Brown Construction Company, Inc., the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Indiana University (GBL) performed a cultural resources survey of the proposed location for excavation of a borrow pit associated with the replacement of County Road 1000 South Bridge over Sand Creek, northeast of Westport, Decatur County, Indiana. A total of approximately 2.9 acres was surveyed. 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 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. Fieldwork was conducted April 13, 1999 by GBL archaeologists Mary E. Pirkl, Amanda S. Roth, and Craig D. Byron. One previously unrecorded archaeological site, 12 De 399, was discovered in the project area. The site, which yielded 2 pieces of prehistoric debitage, will most likely not contribute significant information to the knowledge of Indiana prehistory in the area, and is recommended to be non-significant and ineligible for inclusion on either the NRHP or the IRHSS. Therefore, cultural resource clearance is recommended for the project area provided that all earthmoving activities are limited to the area currently staked.