Phase II NRHP Archaeological Evaluation of 8 Sites (8BY128, 8BY146, 8BY147, 8BY1294, 8BY1724, 8BY1729, 8BY1742 and 8BY1743), Tyndall Air Force Base, Bay County, Florida

From January 9 to February 6, 2023, WSP Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. (WSP) (formerly Wood Environment & Infrastructure [Wood]) completed Phase II NRHP Evaluations of eight archaeological sites at Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB) in Bay County, Florida. As a result of these evaluations, three of the sites (8BY00146, 8BY01294 and 8BY001729) are recommended as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). These sites all yielded moderate artifact densities, retained features and/or intact subsurface deposits, and yielded materials suggesting Archaic period components were present. Site 8BY00146 appeared to contain two stratified deposits: an indeterminate Woodland period component in the upper soil profile and a Middle to Late Archaic period component in the deeper soil profile, as evidence by the recovery of a Putnam projectile point (PP/K) and Levy Stemmed PP/K in deposits approximately 0.5 m (1.6 ft) to as deep as 1.3 m (4.4 ft) below surface. A moderate concentration of lithic debitage was also found at these depths in association with these PP/Ks, suggesting intact, subsurface deposits related to these time periods are present. While site 8BY00146 was previously defined as quite large, two concentration areas containing over 90% of the recovered materials were identified on the site, so that all further work on the site is recommended within these concentration areas. Site 8BY01294 yielded evidence for an upper deposit associated with the Late Woodland Weeden Island period and deeper deposits dating to the Early and Late Archaic period. This included a fiber tempered Norwood pottery sherd, a pottery type suggesting a plausible occupation during the Late Archaic/Gulf Formational period, and a Kirk Serrated PP/K indicating an Early Archaic period use of the site. While site 8BY01294 was identified as a rather large site, the evaluation investigations revealed that the Early and Late Archaic deposits contained within in a 0.7 ac (0.3 ha) portion within this area. Site 8BY01729 yielded a Middle Woodland period type Gadsden PP/K at approximately 1 m (3.3 ft) below surface with the continued recovery of lithic debitage up to 1.4 m (4.6ft) below surface signifying deep burial of the cultural deposits. Deep testing is necessary to safely delineate and assess the buried cultural deposits. The remaining five sites (8BY00128, 8BY00147, 8BY01724, 8BY01742 and 8BY01743) are all recommended as not eligible for listing on the NRHP. Site 8BY00128, previously reported as an extensive midden dating from the Late Archaic through the Late Woodland, has been heavily impacted by tidal erosion, with most of the material identified as eroding out of the terrace bank or already eroded into the East Bay waters. While a small area of intact deposits was found on the terrace, including a small area of shell midden at the surface, these deposits yielded materials suggesting a Late Woodland period Weeden Island association, a time period well represented and investigated on Tyndall AFB and within the Florida panhandle in general. Site 8BY00147 also appears to have been affected by erosion, with the shell midden and artifact- bearing deposits previously recorded on the site likely also having been eroded into the bay. While a small area of shell midden was noted eroding out of the terrace bank, one shovel test excavated at this location revealed it did not extend further into the landform. A small, isolated area of shell midden was found further inland, but did not yield any prehistoric artifacts. Overall, only a low density of material was recovered, and it appears likely that any significant deposits once present on the site have been eroded into the East Bay. Sites 8BY01724, 8BY01742, and 8BY01743 all yielded only a low density of lithic debitage, with no temporally diagnostic material, significant artifact concentrations, or features identified. Overall, these three sites likely signify the heavy use of the northwestern portion of the base during the prehistoric period, but do not appear to have been used for occupation or any identifiable activity.