Phase Ia Archaeological Survey for County Bridge No. 271 Replacement, Warrick County, Indiana

Abstract

At the request of R.W. Armstrong & Associates, Inc., the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Indiana University (GBL) conducted a Phase Ia archaeological reconnaissance survey of the proposed replacement of Bridge No. 271 in Warrick County, Indiana. The project area is centered on Bridge No. 271 along Yankeetown Road, bisected by Little Pigeon Creek. The project area is approximately 5.0 acres in size. An overview of the project area was carried out, and 1.4 acres were classified as previously disturbed and untestable. The remaining 3.6 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 sites. Fieldwork was conducted October 26, November 2, and November 5, 2001 by GBL archaeologists Melody Pope, George Mankowski, Kris Suthers, Devin Fishel, Sean Person, Krista Jordan, and Holly Hilton. One previously unrecorded site,12 W 673, was discovered within the proposed project area. Site 12 W 673 consists of chipped stone debitage and a single ceramic sherd recovered from disturbed and undisturbed deposits of a stratigraphic test unit. It is not possible, due to limitations of Phase Ia survey, to determine if 12 W 673 is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures (IRHSS). In view of the alluvial setting, the quality and quantity of known sites in the vicinity, and the potential for buried features and archaeological materials to occur in alluvial landforms, the GBL recommends that a Phase Ic subsurface reconnaissance survey be conducted to assess the potential for site 12 W 673 to be eligible for placement on the NRHP and IRHSS. For this reason, it is the opinion of the GBL that cultural resource clearance not be granted for the proposed bridge replacement No. 271 until further archaeological evaluation can be completed.