|
Weaver & Associates, LLC |
State Route 56
In the spring of 2000 and the fall of 2001 Weaver & Associates, LLC conducted an extensive Phase I survey for a proposed expansion of SR-56 in Jackson and Macon counties, Tennessee. We identified 29 previously unrecorded sites, five of which are associated with cemeteries, and seven caves. Most of the sites are prehistoric open habitation sites, while a few are historic period sites. Diagnostic prehistoric artifacts recovered suggest cultural affiliations of Transitional Paleoindian, Early Archaic, Late Archaic, Middle Woodland, and Mississippian periods. No cultural material or evidence of prehistoric occupation was found within the caves, although some passages have not yet been fully explored. Nineteen of the sites were recommended for Phase 2 testing if avoidance is unfeasible, and recommendations for the exploration and mapping of the caves were also made.
