Archaeological Investigations Within the Proposed Argosy Lawrenceburg Casino Expansion Project Area in Dearborn County, Indiana

Summary

Under contract with Randee Bach, Vice President of Design and Contract Administration of the Argosy Gaming Company and Michael McGrew, Vice President of Construction of the Penn National Gaming Company, Inc., archaeological investigations were conducted by Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc., in conjunction with the Argosy Lawrenceburg Casino Expansion Project (consisting of planned new parking facilities, roadway alterations, and new boat slip) in Dearborn County, Indiana. The archaeological work consisted of an examination and evaluation of the archaeological deposits within the project area, and collection of data from the portions of sites considered capable of contributing to the characteristics that qualify them for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

Fieldwork began in December of 2004 and continued through June of 2007. Portions of 22 archaeological sites located within the project area were recorded and examined. Thirteen sites (12D363, 12D506, 12D509, 12D567, 12D569, 12D570, 12D578, 12D579, 12D580, 12D582, 12D583, 12D585, and 12D586) were evaluated regarding National Register of Historic Places eligibility and five sites (12D363, 12D508, 12D509, 12D520, and 12D585) were subject to data recovery. The data recovery investigations at these five sites consisted of hand excavation of individual units and block areas and/or stripping of large areas of overburden and the excavation of the exposed features. These sites had archaeological components representing the Late Archaic, Early Woodland, Middle Woodland, Late Woodland, Late Prehistoric, and Historic periods. The remaining 10 sites were determined not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and no further work was conducted.

Portions of 12D509 (Localities F, H, M, and N) recommended as eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places were in areas that were not to be directly impacted through construction of the new parking facilities or roadway alterations; however, the United States Army Corps of Engineers determined that these deposits could be secondarily impacted. They occurred beneath the surface parking lots and were recommended to be preserved in place. After consultation with the Indiana State Historic Preservation Office (the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the areas were cleared for construction with the stipulation that the significant portion of the localities be protected. Argosy proposed that they be allowed to construct temporary parking lots and be allowed to use the lots for a period 10 years. If after the period of use they determined the lots are no longer needed they would be removed and the areas returned to green space. If Argosy determined the lots are still needed archaeological data recovery would be completed within one year of the June 1, 2017 decommissioning of the lots.

Due to the size of the project, the phase III report has been divided into two volumes. This volume (Volume I) provides specific data pertaining to the prehistoric sites (the Levee Site [12D363] and the Keller Site [12D509]) investigated and a synthesis of current and past investigations at the sites, addressing relevant research questions pertaining to chronology, settlement patterning, site structure, subsistence, and technology. The subsequent volume (Volume II) presents data for the historic sites (the Tousey-Hofenbeader-Mohr Site [12D508], the Bieger-Gould Disque Site [12D520], and the Tate-Christian Site [12D585]) and a historic synthesis.

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Contributor(s): Jessica Allgood; Frederick Banschbach; Renee Bonzani; Andrew Bradbury; Flora Church; Berle Clay; Randall Cooper; Karen Quick; Michael Curran; Steven Creasman; Robert Donahue; Jennifer Haney; Melissa Logan; Vera Morgan; Kathryn Pusseman; Lynda Scott Cummings; R. A. Varney; Jo Ann Wilson Huser; Chad Yost

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