Previously Recorded Cultural Resources in Project Tract
Archaeology
A review of the archaeological site files was conducted at the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology (OSA) in Raleigh prior to the initiation of field investigations. One archaeological resource, 31ON156, is recorded within the tract boundaries. This site is described as containing prehistoric deposits, but no report on the investigations at the site was ever compiled. The level of investigation at 31ON156 was likely a surface inspection of the field where the site is located and submission of an abbreviated site form. This site’s research potential and eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) were never evaluated.
Architecture
A review of architectural resource data on file at the Survey and Planning Branch of the North Carolina Department of Archives and History (NCDAH) in Raleigh identified one previously recorded architectural historic resource in our project tract. This resource, ON505, is the Spicer House that was constructed around 1860 (Pezzoni 1998).
During our field survey, the Spicer house and an associated barn were recorded as features within the boundaries of site 31ON1577. This site is described in detail below. Pezzoni (1998) also mentions the nearby Spicer cemetery. The Spicer cemetery is approximately 0.6 miles south of the Spicer House, within the boundaries of archaeological site 31ON1582. The cemetery is discussed in detail in that site discussion.
Since being recorded by Pezzoni and Pezzoni in 1988, the house had deteriorated significantly. During our field investigations, the house was in such poor condition that it was unsafe to enter. Following a storm, the house was further damaged; portions of the roof, east wall, and second story floor collapsed. We consulted with Renee Gledhill-Early, Environmental Review Coordinator with the NCDAH, about the situation and she authorized the razing of the building for safety reasons. The house was subsequently bulldozed and all debris was cleared from the area.
Field Investigation Results
Sixteen archaeological sites and two isolated finds were recorded in the project tract (see Table 1). These resources range from small sites consisting of only a few artifacts in a single shovel test or surface area, to large sites hundreds of meters long and wide with artifacts collected from more than 100 shovel tests. Even at the survey level, these sites present a picture of prehistoricand historic settlement within the development tract that spans thousands of years. The large prehistoric sites may represent many small overlapping occupations over a few thousand years, or possibly a larger village/hamlet occupation. The historic sites represent the remains of an eighteenth century plantation. It also contains remnants of antebellum, postbellum, and twentieth century occupations.
