Archaeological Phase Ia Survey for Daviess County Bridge No. 183 Replacement on Portersville Road in Daviess and Dubois Counties, Indiana

Abstract

At the request of CrossRoad Engineers, PC, the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Indiana University (GBL) conducted a Phase Ia archaeological reconnaissance survey for Daviess County Bridge No. 183 replacement on Portersville Road in Daviess and Dubois Counties. The purposes of survey were 1) to identify and document all the cultural resources in the project area, 2) to evaluate the eligibility of any sites found 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 between June 14, 2001 and June 18, 2001 by GBL archaeologists Melody Pope, Erin Kuns, George Mankowski, Dan Osborne, Sean Pearson, Sarah Wille, Kris Suthers, Andrea Kuns, Daniel Seib, and Jamie Aprile. Three previously unrecorded archaeological sites were recorded during survey of the proposed project area. While none of these sites are recommended for inclusion on the NRHP or IRHSS, due to the alluvial setting and extensive flooding on the East Fork of the White River, the quality and quantity of known sites in the drainage, and the potential for buried archaeological sites to occur in the project area, it is the opinion of the GBL that a Phase Ic should be conducted on the floodplain of the East Fork of the White River, on both the north and south sides of the river. Two previously known sites located within the project area were resurveyed during the Phase Ia archaeological reconnaissance for Daviess Co. Bridge 183. Due to the paucity of artifacts and absence of diagnostic materials, site 12 Da 71 is not recommended to be eligible for inclusion on the NRHP or IRHSS, and no further archaeological work is recommended. Based on the amount of materials recovered and presence of materials in subplowzone levels, site 12 Du 73 may be eligible for inclusion on the NRHP and IRHSS. It is the recommendation of the GBL that a staged Phase Ib/Phase II investigation be conducted for that portion of site 12 Du 73 that falls within the project area. Specifically, the Phase Ib would consist of subsurface sampling to clarify the geologic context of the site deposits that occur within the right-of-way, and the extent to which post-depositional processes have compromised the integrity of the site deposits. The Phase Ib would also facilitate planning for Phase II testing should such recommendations be made based on the results of the Phase Ib.