Protecting cultural resources during Peachtree Creek bridge replacement project

(Digital Library of Georgia)

Transportation officials in Georgia will ensure that any artifacts discovered during the replacement of a bridge in the area where the Battle of Peachtree Creek occurred will be saved for curation at the University of West Georgia.

The Georgia Battlefields Association responded to a request for comments on the proposed project at Northside Drive and Peachtree Creek. The Georgia Department of Transportation says the span, built in 1926, needs replacement. It is seeking neighborhood feedback on the project’s potential impact.

Northside Drive did not exist during the July 20, 1864, battle, but the location was a crossing point for Federal troops. Today, Northside is a heavily traveled north-south corridor for commuters and neighborhoods. The bridge is within the American Battlefield Protection Program’s core area for the Peachtree Creek battlefield.

“Any time land in this area is disturbed, I expect bullets will be found, principally overshot from the 20 July battle," said Charlie Crawford, president of the GBA. "Since Federal infantry was in the area for a few days, and since they used it as a cavalry marshaling area thereafter, I expect horseshoe nails, bridge building debris, buttons, etc."

The area was the site of three bridges built by Brig. Gen. John W. Geary’s division of the U.S. 20^th Corps as it crossed Peachtree Creek on July 19-20, 1864.