Phase Ic 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 Ic archaeological reconnaissance survey of site 12 W 673 and its immediate surroundings to facilitate the proposed replacement of Bridge No. 271 in Warrick County, Indiana. This Phase Ic reconnaissance follows an earlier Phase Ia survey by the GBL, in 2001. The purposes of survey were, generally, 1) to identify and document the vertical and horizontal distribution of 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. The specific focus of the Phase Ic effort was to define the vertical boundaries and assess the quality of extant cultural material deposits. Fieldwork was conducted between September 23 and October 11, 2002 by GBL archaeologists Joshua Wells (project supervisor), who was assisted by Johnnie Sanders, along with archaeological technicians Robert Adkins, Jonathan Cracraft, Michael Darland, Staffan Peterson, Zarko Tankosic, and a skilled backhoe operator from Aigner Excavation, Boonville, Indiana. It is not considered likely, based upon our findings, that 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). Local hydrological action appears to have washed away any feature remnants in the project area, thus eroding, rather than protecting, the potential for intact buried features to be discovered at 12 W 673. For this reason, it is the opinion of our office that cultural resource clearance be granted for the proposed bridge replacement No. 271, per conditions set out below.