Archaeological survey and monitoring of the combined sewer overflow control facility, Ross's Landing Park, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Authors

R. Bruce Council

Files

Abstract

The Jeffrey L. Brown Institute of Archaeology, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, was engaged in December, 1990, by Downs Engineering, Inc., on behalf of the City of Chattanooga, to conduct an archaeological reconnaissance of the route of a proposed combined sewer overflow (CSO) conduit extending over 650 meters through Ross's Landing Park on the south bank of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee. On the determination of the Tennessee Historical Commission, the potential for significant historic period archaeological remains within the proposed sewer project was deemed high. An archaeological reconnaissance of the project area and/or mitigative measures was required. The Institute conducted a limited backhoe testing program in Ross's Landing Park on December 11 and 12, 1990, resulting in the excavation of four backhoe-excavated search trenches. The location of the trenches was conditioned by the substantial depth of modern redeposited fills over buried historic horizons and the need for large areas of undeveloped ground on which to place backhoe spoil. Without cutting access roads in the park, or disturbing buried utility lines, no further testing was feasible. A progress report on the backhoe testing program was submitted to the sponsor in December, 1990, outlining the results of the four test pits and the difficulty encountered in sampling deeply buried historic components without more extensive trenching and necessary removal of modern access roads and utilities. In lieu of further programmed testing by backhoe, the Institute recommended monitoring of the CSO trenching during construction, at which time logistical considerations pertaining to continued park use could be met. Daily monitoring of the trench excavation by R. B. Council began November 20, 1991, and continued until February 21, 1992, on which date periodic inspection of the site by N. Honerkamp continued until completion of the CSO conduit in the fall of 1992. Numerous architectural and structural features were exposed in the excavation of the conduit, as well as scattered artifacts principally of an industrial character. Of particular interest was a natural ravine running through the Landing that had been backfilled in the 1870s and 1880s by debris from a sawmill and furniture manufacturing plant. No resources eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places were encountered. Site impacts in the late 1960s and early 1970s had seriously disturbed the area of Ross's Landing Park, leaving only scattered finds of limited extent.

Department

Dept. of Social, Cultural, and Justice Studies

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Date

3-1993

Subject

Chattanooga (Tenn.) -- Docks, wharves, etc.; Hamilton County (Tenn.) -- History

Location

Chattanooga (Tenn.); Ross's Landing (Chattanooga, Tenn.)

Document Type

reports

Extent

ii, 21 leaves

Language

English

Call Number

F444.C46 C68 1993

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Recommended Citation

Council, R. Bruce, "Archaeological survey and monitoring of the combined sewer overflow control facility, Ross's Landing Park, Chattanooga, Tennessee" (1993). Jeffrey L. Brown Institute of Archaeology Reports. 25.
https://scholar.utc.edu/archaeology-reports/25