Phase I Archaeological Survey – Survey Areas TY-0200 and TY-0201, Tyndall Air Force Base, Bay County, Florida

In February 2023, WSP USA Environment and Infrastructure, Inc. (WSP), completed a Phase I archaeological survey of areas TY-0200 and TY-0201 at Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB) in Bay County Florida (Task Order TY-22-2025). These survey areas encompass a total of 458.2 acres (ac; 185.5 hectares [ha]). TY-0200 consists of four noncontiguous areas located at the northwestern end of the base on the south side of US-98 and TY-0201 consists of four noncontiguous areas located at the far southeastern end of the base near Mexico Beach. The survey was conducted to meet the requirements of Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665: 16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.), as amended, and was completed in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Historic Preservation Projects (Federal Register, Vol. 48, No. 190, September 1983, P. 44716-44742, et seq.), and the Florida Division of Historical Resources (FDHR) Cultural Resource Management Standards and Operations Manual Module Three Guidelines for Use by Historic Preservation Professionals (FDHR 2015). A total of 477 Survey Shovel Tests and 77 Recording Shovel Tests were excavated as part of this task order. A total of 200 ac (81 ha) were found to be inundated at the time of survey and an additional 7.28 ac (3 ha) were covered in dense vegetation and tree fall and could not be accessed for survey. Background research indicated that ten previously recorded sites are documented partially within (8BY00691, 8BY00693, 8BY01496, 8BY02549, and NWR 20) or adjacent (8BY00155, 8BY00159, 8BY02719, 8BY01347 and 8BY01359) to the survey areas. All previously recorded sites within or partially within the survey area have been determined as eligible or not eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and, as such, these areas were not re-surveyed. However, the current survey did result in the extension of the site boundaries for three of the previously recorded sites within TY-201: 8BY00691, 8BY00693, and 8BY02549. Site 8BY0691 is a prehistoric shell midden site dating to the Early and Late Woodland, Mississippian, and protohistoric periods previously determined as eligible for listing on the NRHP. The current survey extended the boundary slightly to the north, and yielded evidence for an Early Archaic period component with the recovery of a Kirk Stemmed projectile point/knife (PP/K). However, this PP/K was found intermixed with an indeterminate pottery fragment located off of the terrace containing the majority of the site, suggesting disturbance. Overall, it is unlikely this minor extension area would contribute to the NRHP eligibility of the site. Site 8BY00693 was initially recorded as a Mississippian Fort Walton shell midden site, evaluated as not eligible for listing on the NRHP. The current survey extended the boundary and revealed additional shell midden deposits yielding shell tools and pottery fragments indicating a Late Woodland Weeden Island component; WSP recommends that this new portion should be further evaluated for its potential to be listed on the NRHP. The extension to 8BY02549, a Late Woodland Weeden Island site, included the identification of additional shell midden deposits and artifacts likely to contribute to the site’s previous recommended as potentially eligible. One new historic archaeological site (8BY03230) and two new archaeological occurrences were also identified during the current survey. Site 8BY03230 is an early to mid-twentieth century low density artifact scatter located in TY-0200. No features, structural remnants, or intact subsurface deposits were identified at the site and archival research did not identify any evidence of an occupation at the site location. Given the low density of material recovered and the lack of subsurface deposits, the site is unlikely to yield significant information regarding early to midtwentieth century sites and is recommended not eligible for listing on the NRHP. The two archaeological occurrences consist of a scatter of early twentieth century Herty cup fragments (IF-1142) and a single prehistoric lithic flake (IF-1143). Both occurrences are also recommended as not eligible for listing on the NRHP.