Orange County NC Website
Page 35 <br /> the Neuse River led to the discovery of a number of prehistoric archaeological sites , one of <br /> which (31WA1137) was determined eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic <br /> Places . The site is on a natural levee on the north side of the Neuse River and contains intact <br /> cultural deposits dating from both the Archaic and Woodland periods . <br /> Project testing results are that 31WA1137 contains information about prehistoric lithic <br /> maintenance strategies during -the Middle and Late Archaic (two thousand to seven thousand <br /> years ago) . Deep testing was conducted to answer questions about environmental changes , as <br /> reflected in river sediments at the site . Special samples were also recovered to provide detailed <br /> information on prehistoric diet and chronology (time depth) . The fieldwork phase of this <br /> project is complete , and laboratory analysis and report preparation in progress . <br /> Randleman Lake Project <br /> Since 1976 , OSA has been involved in a water supply project called Randleman Reservoir . <br /> Initially proposed for construction on the Deep River by the U . S . Army Corps of Engineers , <br /> the reservoir was to flood several thousand acres in Guilford and Randolph Counties and <br /> supply potable water to Greensboro and the surrounding area. Through the years , the size <br /> and configuration of the lake , the funding agency, and the cultural resource needs of the <br /> project have changed . In 1974 the Research Laboratories of Anthropology surveyed many of <br /> the cultivated fields in the proposed reservoir area and located 121 prehistoric sites . In 1977 <br /> Wake Forest University surveyed a 10 percent sample of the project area and recorded eighty- <br /> five prehistoric sites and seven historic structures . <br /> As often happens , the project was put on hold for a few years because of funding constraints . <br /> The next phase of archaeological investigation was a survey of the proposed dam site by <br /> Archaeological Research Consultants , Inc . , which recorded thirty-three prehistoric and eleven <br /> historic archaeological sites . In the late 1980s the U . S . Army Corps of Engineers decided not <br /> to build the reservoir , and the project was taken up by the Piedmont Triad Regional Water <br /> Authority . That agency ' s revised plans called for deletion of the recreational aspects of the <br /> project and a total project area of six thousand acres . A permit from the Corps of Engineers <br /> was required , so compliance with Section 106 was still necessary . <br /> In 1993 Garrow and Associates produced a summary of archaeological research to date for the <br /> project and outlined a plan for additional investigations . A 1996 survey of 860 acres was <br /> undertaken by Coastal Carolina Research, Inc. Eighty-one sites were recorded during this <br /> final survey, twenty-six of which were recommended for additional testing . One site , <br /> Freeman ' s Mill , was determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places . <br /> Seven historic archaeological sites were tested in 1997 , including three mills , one millhouse , <br /> one blacksmith shop , and two cabin sites . None of these resources retained sufficient <br /> stratigraphic integrity to warrant additional work after the testing phase . Of the twenty-one <br /> prehistoric sites tested , three (31GF376 , 31RD1166 , and 31RD1192) were determined eligible <br /> for the National Register . <br />