Plant Remains from Shelby Mound (41CP71), Camp County, Texas

Nine lots of botanical samples collected during 1988 and 1992 excavations at the Shelby Mound site (41CP71) were submitted for identification prior to their eventual curation at Stephen F. Austin State University. Some botanical samples from these excavations have been previously reported. Excavations at Shelby Mound were conducted in a 10 x 10 ft. unit divided into four 5 x 5 ft. squares. Botanical samples were recovered using 1/4-inch screen. Shelby Mound, also known as the Tracy site and the Greasy Creek site, is a large Late Caddo village, community cemetery, and mound center. Most of the community cemetery at the site was destroyed by looters more than 30 years ago

Plant Remains from the Washington Square Mound site (41NA49), Nacogdoches, Texas

Botanical remains were identified from 27 lots from the Washington Square Mound site (41NA49). The primary occupation at the site is Middle Caddo period in age. The first pooled set of calibrated radiocarbon dates from the site fell into the period A.D. 1268-1302, while a recent set of five calibrated dates from samples of plant remains discussed in this article range from A.D. 1279 + 17; (2) A.D. 1358 + 57; and three dates on charred corn from Features 36, 81, and 86 range from as early as A.D. 1394 to as late as A.D. 1437. These dates as a group fall in the Middle Caddo period; there is limited evidence at the site for other, smaller occupations, including Late Caddo and Late Woodland/Early Caddo. At least three mounds were visible in the nineteenth century. Much of the site was never plowed, a situation that has resulted in intact shallow deposits and unusually large pottery sherds, although a high school has been built over parts of the non-mound site area. Labels of botanical lots that included excavation dates indicate a range from 1979 to 1983, associating the botanical remains with Stephen F. Austin State University Field School excavations that took place during this time. At least nine features are represented in the botanical lots. Four are described as charcoal-filled pits, one as a pit, and one as a post mold. Feature 36 was a corn cob concentration . Botanical lots for Features 62, 81, and 199 are also present. The Washington Square Mound site is situated in the city of Nacogdoches, Texas, on an interfluve between Banita Creek and La Nana Creek, which drain into La Nana Bayou and the Angelina River. The area lies squarely in the Pineywoods ecological zone, the westernmost extension of the great Southeastern Evergreen Forest that reaches across the southeastern United States to the Atlantic coast (Braun 2001:281). The dominant vegetation type in an upland area such as Washington Square during presettlement times would have been a shortleaf pine community, where shortleaf pines (Pinus echinata) share dominance with dry-site oaks such as southern red oak (Quercus falcata), post oak (Q. stellata), and blackjack oak (Q. marilandica), hickories (Carya spp.), and elms (Ulmus spp.) Springs and marshy areas nearby would have offered aquatic and wetland plants such as river cane (Arundinaria gigantea). A spring-fed pond is reported to have existed north of the site, and a marshy area to the southwest. Pollen studies indicate that use of the modern and recent vegetation is appropriate for understanding the plants and attendant animal resources available to occupants of the sites during prehistoric times. Some fluctuations in rainfall and temperature have taken place, however. In addition, more frequent fires would have made the understory in the uplands less prominent than today. Early explorers in East Texas and other parts of the Eastern Woodlands noted the open, park-like nature of many woodlands

Evidence for a Long-Distance Trade in Bois D\u27Arc Bows in 16th Century Texas (Maclura Pomifera, Moraceae)

A piece of wood charcoal identified as bois d’arc (Maclura pomifera) was recovered from the Janee site (41MN33) in Menard County, Texas. The specimen has been directly dated to 400 ± 30 B.P., a period when no naturally-occurring bois d’arc stands are believed to have been present within 400 miles of the site. Bois d’arc ecology, economic uses of bois d’arc wood, and historical accounts of bois d’arc trade indicate the specimen is best interpreted as part of a trade item related to Caddo bow-making traditions in Northeast Texas and adjacent areas of other states

Ouachita Mountains Foodways: Preliminary Results from 2013-2014 Excavations at 3MN298

New excavations in the Ouachita National Forest in west-central Arkansas, co-directed by Meeks Etchieson and Mary Beth Trubitt, are resulting in significant information about foodways of ancestral Caddo Indians living in the Ouachita Mountains region. This work has focused on the Dragover site (3MN298), located on a floodplain of the upper Ouachita River. Artifacts from this extensive archeological site indicate use from about 6000 B.C. to the A.D. 1900s, but it was its potential for well-preserved organic material – animal bone, mussel shell, and charred plant seeds – that drew our research attention. Initial site testing in the 1980s uncovered several pit features with pottery sherds, chipped stone, animal bone, and mussel shells. Later analysis of ceramics from those features indicated a Buckville phase Caddo occupation estimated to fall in the sixteenth century A.D. Planting pine trees caused some damage to the site; one motivation for this project was the need for a current site evaluation so the Ouachita National Forest could better manage this historical location

Salvage along the Red River: The Red Cox (3LA18) Site and its Place on the Caddo Landscape

The Red Cox (3LA18) site is located in Lafayette County, Arkansas along the Red River. As recounted in his weekly report of April 9, 1975, Dr. Frank Schambach received word that the site was being directly impacted by land leveling machinery. Salvage efforts collected the remains from the floor of a burned Caddo farmstead structure. Remains include ceramic sherds, carbonized corn kernels, acorn nutmeat and nutshells, burned wood fragments, and bits of daub. In this paper, we present the results of a recent analysis of the materials and situate the farmstead within the Red River landscape during a period shortly after Haley (ca. A.D. 1200 - 1400) phase and into the early part of the Belcher (ca. A.D. 1400 - 1700) phase

Changing Lifeways along the Guadalupe Basin in South Texas: The Results of National Register Testing of a Stratified Multicomponent Prehistoric Site, 41DW277, DeWitt County, Texas

AmaTerra Environmental (formerly Ecological Communications Corporation [EComm]) conducted archeological National Register eligibility testing at Site 41DW277 in December 2009. The site is located in the proposed right-of-way (ROW) for a new bridge along US 183 over the Guadalupe River, DeWitt County, Texas. Site 41DW277 was documented in 2009 by James Abbott and Allen Bettis of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and at the time of survey it was thought to be potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or as a State Archeological Landmark (SAL). Due to expected impacts resulting from the proposed bridge construction, testing was recommended to determine NRHP/SAL eligibility. TxDOT hired AmaTerra to complete the work under Texas Antiquities Permit 5460. Testing consisted of excavation of five gradall trenches and 32 test units. AmaTerra found that the site consists of three stratified prehistoric components extending from 1–2 meters in depth and ranging from 2,800 years to 5,200 years BP in age. Three features were documented and artifacts recovered included lithic debris and tools, mussel shell, snail shell, a small amount of bone, and some modern household debris (from the top levels of the units). Burned rock was observed and documented but not collected. An interim report was submitted in January 2010 recommending that the upper components of the site are not eligible for NRHP/SAL listing but that lowest and oldest component is eligible. However, the report also recommended that no further work was needed since the lowest component was not within the area of potential effect (APE) for the bridge replacement. The Texas Historical Commission concurred with this recommendation in February 2010. This report documents the results of the testing and analysis for Site 41DW277. Records and artifacts generated during this project will be curated at the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University

Violence against Women Raises Risk of Cervical Cancer

Background: An emerging literature suggests that violence against women (VAW), particularly sexual violence, may increase the risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and, therefore, may be associated with cervical cancer development. The purpose of this cross-sectional analysis was to determine if women who had experienced violence had higher prevalence rates of invasive cervical cancer. Methods: Women aged 18–88 who joined the Kentucky Women’s Health Registry (2006–2007) and completed a questionnaire were included in the sample. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to adjust odds ratio (OR) for confounders (e.g., age, education, current marital status, lifetime illegal drug use, and pack-years of cigarette smoking). Results: Of 4732 participants with no missing data on violence, cervical cancer, or demographic factors, 103 (2.1%) reported ever having cervical cancer. Adjusting for demographic factors, smoking, and illegal drug use, experiencing VAW was associated with an increased prevalence of invasive cervical cancer (adjusted OR [aOR]¼2.6, 95% CI¼1.7-3.9). This association remained significant when looking at three specific types of VAW: intimate partner violence (IPV) (aOR¼2.7, 95% CI¼1.8-4.0), adult exposure to forced sex (aOR¼2.6, 95% CI¼1.6-4.3), and child exposure to sexual abuse (aOR¼2.4, 95% CI¼1.4-4.0). Conclusions: Rates of cervical cancer were highest for those experiencing all three types of VAW relative to those never experiencing VAW. Because VAW is common and has gynecological health effects, asking about VAW in healthcare settings and using this information to provide tailored healthcare may improve women’s health outcomes

Excavations at the Early Caddo Period Mound Pond Site (41HS12) in Harrison County, Texas

This publication summarizes major archaeological findings from the July 1977 excavations at the Mound Pond site (41HS12), in the Pineywoods of Harrison County, Texas. The site lies on the south, or right, bank of Big Cypress Creek in the upper reaches of Caddo Lake, approximately 4 km north of the village of Uncertain. The Mound Pond Site was recorded by Dr. E. Mott Davis (The University of Texas at Austin) in the 1950s, during the time that he was conducting investigations at nearby Lake O’ the Pines Reservoir. Early in 1977, Forrest Murphey, of Marshall, Texas, approached Glenn Goode about assisting in a test excavation of the large mound at the site. Mr. Murphey (now deceased) had been informed that the landowners intended to build a house on the site, and that the mound would be leveled to make a flat surface. Forrest was a knowledgeable avocational archaeologist of the region, having worked for several years with Dr. Clarence H. Webb and others at the Resch site on Potters Creek south of Marshall, Texas. In preparation for this undertaking, Goode conducted a file and library search at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory (TARL) at the University of Texas at Austin, and discussed with Dr. Dee Ann Story (director of TARL) the feasibility of attempting such an effort. It was agreed that given the circumstances of impending destruction, an attempt to learn as much as possible in the three weeks available should be made. With Murphey and Goode being the only individuals committed to the entire project, and with no money to hire a crew, they turned to both the avocational and professional communities for assistance. East Texas residents David C. (Dave) Brown of Texarkana Junior College, and Rodney Still, of Kilgore, devoted significant time and expertise to the project. Dave had considerable archaeological experience in East Texas, having worked on several projects for Southern Methodist University in the 1960s. In 1974, Rodney had worked with Goode and the Texas Highway Department at the Marshall Powder Mill excavations, and he was keenly interested in all aspects of Caddo and moundbuilder archaeology

The Ransom and Sarah Williams Farmstead: Post-Emancipation Transitions of an African American Family in Central Texas Vol. 1

In conjunction with the proposed construction of the southwest segment of State Highway 45 in southern Travis County, the Texas Department of Transportation sponsored archeological testing and data recovery efforts at the Ransom Williams farmstead. Prewitt and Associates, Inc., conducted an interdisciplinary community-based historic archeological study of the farmstead from 2005 through 2011. Extensive archival research reveals that the 45-acre farm was owned and occupied by Ransom Williams and his wife Sarah, both former slaves, from about 1871 to ca. 1905. The Williams family lived in the predominantly white rural community of Bear Creek, but they had connections to the nearby freedmen communities of Antioch Colony in northern Hays County and Manchaca in southern Travis County. The stories of the Ransom Williams family and their connections to these communities are enhanced by extensive oral history research, with over 46 hours of taped and transcribed interviews with 27 descendant community members. Data recovery investigations focused on a landscape archeological study to define the layout and design of the entire farmstead, including a stock pond and a network of dry-laid rock walls that facilitated water drainage, demarcated property boundaries, and formed livestock pens. Intensive hand excavations were used to examine features associated with the Williams house, outbuildings and activity areas, and a large trash midden. This work recovered more than 26,000 artifacts. They constitute an impressive material culture assemblage that is associated, with few exceptions, with the Williams family tenure on the land. The combined archival data, oral history interviews, and archeological evidence tell the fascinating story of how one African American farm family lived and thrived in central Texas during Reconstruction and into the Jim Crow era