Archaeological Survey of a Proposed Borrow Pit Site in Brownstown, Jackson County, Indiana for a Bridge Replacement on U.S. Route 50, Over the East Fork of the White River

Abstract

At the request of Halverson Construction Co., Inc., the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Indiana University, performed a phase I cultural resources survey at the proposed location for a borrow pit in Brownstown, Jackson County, Indiana. Approximately 8 acres were surveyed by means of an intensive visual surface examination. The purposes of the archaeological reconnaissance were to: 1) identify and document cultural resources in the proposed project area; 2) if cultural materials were discovered, assess their potential for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures (IRHSS); and 3) make recommendations pertaining to the significance and future treatment of cultural resources within the project area. Fieldwork was performed on July 8, 1998 by GBL archaeologists Wendy L. Natt, Devin W. Fishel, and Charles E. Bair. During the survey, one previously reported (but uninvestigated) site, 12 J 366, was located, investigated, and documented within the project area. The field survey determined that the site encompassed virtually the entire survey block. Several factors indicate that intact, potentially significant subsurface deposits are likely to be present at 12 J 366, including: site location and sedimentology; artifactual evidence of multiple prehistoric components at the site; and high artifact diversity and density. Site 12 J 366 is therefore recommended to be potentially significant and eligible for inclusion on the NRHP and the IRHSS. As a result of the survey findings, Halverson Construction Co., Inc. decided to withdraw their proposal to use the survey area as a borrow site. 12 J 366 is therefore not under any known, immediate threat of impact (aside from its continued use as agricultural land). However, should impacts to the site be proposed in the future, limited subsurface testing should be conducted in order to determine whether buried cultural deposits do exist and to assess their significance for state, regional, and national prehistory.