Navarro & Wright conducted cultural resources investigations to facilitate compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act for the planned replacement of three bridges carrying State Route 1014 (Lehigh Street) over the Ironton Rail Trail, and abandoned railroad corridor and the Lehigh River between Whitehall Township in Lehigh County and North Catasauqua Borough in Northampton County. Navarro & Wright conducted a geomorphological examination of the project’s Area of Potential Effect (APE), and a Phase I archaeological survey for the project. Background research to develop a cultural and historical context for the project area and a preliminary reconnaissance by Navarro & Wright’s geomorphologist documented that most of the APE had been extensively disturbed by industrial development and related activities in the 19th and 20th centuries. One portion of the APE contained a residential yard that historical photographs and maps indicated had been part of a 19th century farmstead and had not been extensively disturbed. Navarro & Wright conducted Phase I archaeological testing of the entire yard via systematic shovel testing, and excavated larger test units at potential locations of former outbuildings and activity areas associated with historical occupation of the property.
