PHASE I CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY OF THE BILL THEISEN INDUSTRIAL PARK YORK TOWNSHIP, ATHENS COUNTY, OHIO OH-0182 MAY 15, 2019 Image Credits: Portion of the 1961 (1977 ed.) USGS Nelsonville, Ohio topographic quadrangle map. Inset: Project area, looking southwest by Angela L. Haines, Commonwealth Heritage Group, Inc. PHASE I CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY OF THE BILL THEISEN INDUSTRIAL PARK, YORK TOWNSHIP, ATHENS COUNTY, OHIO Prepared for BURGESS & NIPLE, INC. 5085 REED ROAD COLUMBUS, OHIO 43220 Prepared by COMMONWEALTH HERITAGE GROUP, INC. 4608 INDIANOLA AVENUE, SUITE C COLUMBUS, OHIO 43214 Anne B. Lee, M.A., RPA, Project Manager/Principal Investigator Angela L. Haines, M.A., GIS Coordinator/Staff Archaeologist May 15, 2019 Acknowledgements Anne B. Lee served as Commonwealth’s Project Manager and Principal Investigator for this Project. Angela L. Haines completed the literature review, background research, field investigations, and prepared all GIS files and figures. Dave Walker, Environmental Assessment and Remediation Section Director, served as the Project Manager and primary contact for Burgess & Niple, Inc. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Notice The location of any archaeological site is considered sensitive information and is protected from release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Site location data should not be released to the public because the information may create a risk, harm, theft, or destruction of a non- renewable resource. Information on archaeological sites should only be shared with those individuals directly involved with the subject project. Archaeological site information should not be used for future unrelated projects. Phase I Cultural Resources Survey of the Bill Theisen Industrial Park, Athens County, Ohio ABSTRACT Burgess & Niple, Inc. contracted Commonwealth Heritage Group (Commonwealth) to perform a Phase I Cultural Resources Survey as one step in the process of having the project area parcel certified for industrial or commercial development under the JobsOhio Site Certification Program. Although there is no federal undertaking at the present time, the JobsOhio Site Certification Program offers property owners and potential developers a site where environmental risks are already known. The cultural resources survey, therefore, was conducted as if it was being conducted under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and this report was prepared to meet the guidelines of the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office (OHPO) should coordination become necessary at any point in the process. The project area is an approximately 11.2-acre (4.5-ha), irregularly shaped area bounded by Industrial Park Drive and Industrial Road on the west and north sides and by property lines, buildings, and Poston Road (County Road 110) on the east and south. The project area is largely covered in low grasses except in wet patches where species such as cattails and willow saplings are present. The literature review revealed that there have been no cultural resources surveys conducted inside the project area. Similarly, no previously recorded archaeological sites or above-ground resources (e.g., buildings and structures) have been identified within the project area. Multiple cultural resources surveys have been conducted in the area immediately adjacent to the project area and in the 1-mile (1.6-km) search radius around the project area, although the density of recorded resources is comparatively low in the search radius (three archaeological sites and one building). After completing the literature review, Commonwealth staff investigated the project area on April 24, 2019. Survey consisted of visual inspection and soil probing to assess the level of disturbance and determine if shovel test unit excavation was necessary. The visual inspection and soil probing supported the archival map and aerial imagery review, which indicated that the entire project area had been previously disturbed on several occasions. Given the extensive disturbance of the project area, shovel test units were not excavated because it is extremely unlikely that any archaeological deposits remain in a primary context. Commonwealth staff also found that there are no extant buildings or structures in the project area. Ten structures immediately adjacent to the project area were inspected and found to represent structures that are less than 50 years old and, therefore, do not meet the basic eligibility criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Resources (NRHP). In light of the extensive ground disturbance in the project area and the lack of any buildings or structures in or adjacent to the project area that are over 50 years of age, Commonwealth recommends that no further cultural resources work is necessary at the Bill Theisen Industrial Park site in order to comply with Section 106 of the NHPA or the JobsOhio Site Certification program. i Phase I Cultural Resources Survey of the Bill Theisen Industrial Park, Athens County, Ohio This page intentionally left blank. ii Phase I Cultural Resources Survey of the Bill Theisen Industrial Park, Athens County, Ohio CONTENTS List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................v Project Overview ............................................................................................................................1 Summary of Investigations ....................................................................................................................... 1 Environmental Context .................................................................................................................4 Geology and Physiography ....................................................................................................................... 4 Drainage ................................................................................................................................................... 4 Soils .......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Prehistoric and Historic Context ..................................................................................................6 Prehistoric Context ................................................................................................................................... 6 Historic Context........................................................................................................................................ 6 Proto-Historic and Historical Native American Occupation in Ohio ................................................... 6 Euro-American History of Athens County and York Township .......................................................... 8 Land Use History of the Project Area .................................................................................................. 9 Literature Review ........................................................................................................................16 Previously Documented History/Architecture Resources ...................................................................... 16 Previously Documented Archaeological Resources ............................................................................... 16 Mills’ (1914) Archaeological Atlas of Ohio ...................................................................................... 16 Previous Surveys and Ohio Archaeological (OAI) Inventory Forms................................................. 18 Cemetery Records .................................................................................................................................. 19 Research Design and Methods ....................................................................................................20 Research Goals ....................................................................................................................................... 20 Criteria for the National Register of Historic Places .......................................................................... 20 Field Methods ......................................................................................................................................... 21 Archaeology Laboratory Methods .......................................................................................................... 22 Survey Results ..............................................................................................................................23 Project Area Description ........................................................................................................................ 23 Archaeological Results ........................................................................................................................... 27 History/Architecture Results .................................................................................................................. 29 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................33 References Cited...........................................................................................................................34 Appendix A. Project Photographs