Agenda - 05-04-1999 - 6e - Laserfiche WebLink

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04/09/1999 09:14 9196443002 OR. CTY. PLANNING 10 Proposed Archaooloylcat Resouro~ $urvoy St. Mary's Road is a curving two-lane blacktop that gently traverses Piedmont lands. These lands arA primarily torsi-agricultural, although this land-use pattern is changing with increasing residential development occurring in the area. The St. Mary'S cxrridor follows traces of an historic trade routo that ones connected prehistoric and historic inhabitants living in the bounds of present-day South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. This great path was known by many names, such as the `Catawba Path," the '~'radinp Path." the "Virginia Path,' and the "Occaneechi Trail," and later as the "Oxford Road" (e.g., Catawba Regional Planning Council 1975:46; Joy 1995:3; Stine y990). A wealth of documentation exists for the study area in terms of historic maps, aerial photographs, primary and secondary documentary historic x3urces, cJaneatogical research results, and regional architectural and archaeological surveys. These data will be the initial focus of the archaeological investigations. Task One During the author's t~ure at the South Carolina Institute of Archaeolc~yy and Anthropology she worked on a similar project for the Charleston County Planning Office (Stine 1992). Using myriad sources she described the prehistoric and historic landscapes in the Cherlo3ton areal, listed and di®cuesed tho known archaeological sites, and developed pertinent themes for future research within each pertinent cukural period. She found that reading general area histories and talking with kacal historians and preservationists gave a good indication of relevant regional themes. Primary documentary research (plats, maps, wills, deeds, memorials, etc.) uncovered changing patterns of land-use, tran3port~rtion routes, and settlement patterning during the historic era. Maps of natural resources, used in tandem with known archaeological Sete locations, also provided data for describing prorJable changing pretristuric land- use in Charleston and environs. Ali sorts of informative histories! maps and other resources were uncovered during the background search phase of the protect from both state and regional repositories. The proposed project personnel (see below) already have a solid background in regional and local history and are familiar with the sources listed in the bibliography of the County's Request for Proposals (Belk 1999). Researchers will silt through primary and secondary sources found in pertinent repositories In Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh. An AnnotAted bibliography will bQ pr®pared for all examined resources. Inventory files (archeological, anchitectural, cemetery, National Register) located at the Department of Cultural Resources In Raleigh will be lt~ts initial focus of research. In that manner the St. Mary's project wilt be building on previous work Instead of repeating earlier studies. A brief inspection of tiw archaoological site files at the Office of State Archaeology (GSA) in Raleigh revealed that no systematic surveys have been undertaken along this corridor. The one previously rr~rd+~d sits in the vicinity is 310R228, consisting of 3 flakes noted on the surface of a plowed field. However a perusal of archaeological site bcations on relevant United States Geologic Survey 2