Preliminary Cultural Resources Investigations for the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, Hidalgo County, Texas

Archeological, archival, and geomorphologic investigations were conducted for the proposed Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge Project in Hidalgo County, Texas, by Prewitt and Associates, Inc. from October 12-27, 1992. The purposes of these investigations were to locate and record any cultural resources within the project area, determine their eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and designation as State Archeological Landmarks, and to provide an overview of the Holocene geomorphic history of the project area. The geomorphic history of the project area suggests that the Rio Grande has experienced continuous channel aggradation from the end of the Pleistocene to ca. 1000 B.P. Climatic changes and diminishing sediment loads led to channel incision around 1000 B.P., forming a low late Holocene terrace and resulting in increased sinuosity and a decreased channel width-to-depth ratio. The investigations included a stratified sample survey of approximately 162 hectares (400 acres) and the excavation of 16 backhoe trenches and 14 shovel tests. A total of 10 sites, consisting of 10 historic and 2 prehistoric components, were documented. Six standing architectural properties, each consisting of a structure or groups of structures, also were documented. Four of the sites (41HG153, 41HG155, 41HG156, and 41HG158) are considered to be potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and for designation as State Archeological Landmarks. Two of the architectural properties - the Carmichael and Sorenson farmsteads - also may be eligible for listing on the National Register. The four potentially eligible sites consist of four historic and two prehistoric components. The historic components date from the Texas Republic period to the early twentieth century, representing the establishment and development of the EI Capote Ranch community. The two prehistoric components (41HG153 and 41HG158), of which only 41HG153 is potentially eligible, represent Late Prehistoric and unknown prehistoric components, respectively

Phase II Historical Investigations at Justiceberg Reservoir, Garza and Kent Counties, Texas

Phase II cultural resources investigations at the proposed Justiceburg Reservoir in Garza and Kent counties, Texas, conducted in 1988-1989 included work at four historic sites, the recording of a previously unrecorded historic site, and development of two National Register contexts. This report documents the archeological work at the sites and presents data that resulted from in-depth research concerning the history of the use and development of these sites. In addition, the report presents two historic contexts which were developed in order to provide tools for the assessment of sites within the project area and, at the same time, to present information that could be used in future archeological and architectural surveys in the Southern Plains area. As a result of the development of the contexts and reexamination of 12 historic sites to which the registration requirements associated with the contexts could be applied, 7 of the sites were found to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places

Indigent Care in Texas: A Study of Poor Farms and Outdoor Relief

Indigent Care in Texas: A Study of Poor Farms and Outdoor Relief was prepared by Prewitt & Associates, Inc., for the Archeological Studies Program, Environmental Affairs Division, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), as one of a series of investigations concerning pauper cemeteries and poor farms. The investigations are an outgrowth of planning for road improvements to Interstate Highway 35 between Belton and Temple that has been ongoing since 2002. The purpose of this most recent investigation has been to provide context for properties associated with pauper care in Texas and to present the findings of a preliminary field investigation of one such property in Bell County. The author concluded that indigent care in Bell County occurred most frequently outside of institutions, but that the poor farm model was an important one in the history of pauper care in Texas and the United States. Standing structures and the records associated with poor care in Texas are rare, making the surviving examples of both unusually noteworthy

Phase II Historical Investigations at Justiceburg Reservoir, Garza and Kent Counties, Texas

Phase II cultural resources investigations at the proposed Justiceburg Reservoir in Garza and Kent counties, Texas, conducted in 1988-1989 included work at four historic sites, the recording of a previously unrecorded historic site, and development of two National Register contexts. This report documents the archeological work at the sites and presents data that resulted from in-depth research concerning the history of the use and development of these sites. In addition, the report presents two historic contexts which were developed in order to provide tools for the assessment of sites within the project area and, at the same time, to present information that could be used in future archeological and architectural surveys in the Southern Plains area. As a result of the development of the contexts and reexamination of 12 historic sites to which the registration requirements associated with the contexts could be applied, 7 of the sites were found to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places

The Development of an Agricultural Landscape Along a Portion of the U.S. Highway 277 Corridor, with a Case Study of the Cotton Industry in Haskell, Texas

In February 2002, Prewitt and Associates, Inc., contracted with the Texas Department of Transportation, Environmental Affairs Division, to complete tasks describing the history and architectural resources of the U.S. Highway 277 Wichita Falls, to Abilene, Texas, corridor. Task 1 involved producing a broad overview of the corridor focusing on railroad construction and development of an agricultural landscape. The overview, constituting the first part of this report, provides a history of agriculture, transportation, and community development along the corridor, and identifies the forces at play in the development of the corridor that resulted in construction of specific properties. Task 2 involved creating a case study of Haskell focusing on the development of the cotton industry in the town and surrounding area, identifying the forces at play in the creation and growth of the town and agricultural and related industries, and briefly describing cotton-related cultural properties; this study constitutes the second part of this report. Task 4 resulted in an annotated bibliography pertaining to subjects associated with Task 1; the bibliography also appears in this report. The results of Task 3, which involved producing an illustrated field guide to industrial property types, are more fully described in another volume

An Oral History of Camp Swift: 2004 Interviews

The Adjutant General’s Department of Texas contracted with the Center for Archaeological Studies, Texas State University-San Marcos (CAS) to conduct an oral history project at Camp Swift in Bastrop County. The oral history project could provide information useful in determining National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility assessments of archaeological sites. The facility’s use by the Texas Army National Guard for military training began during World War II, and the Adjutant General’s Department has overseen management of cultural resources for the camp since the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1965. Archaeological inventory of the area began as early as 1979 and has continued with surveys that have provided the National Guard with recommendations concerning the eligibility of sites for nomination to the NRHP

Archeological Excavation and Reburial of Historic Graves in the Oscar Abstein Cemetery (41HR976), Harris County, Texas

This report documents the exhumation and reburial of three historic graves within the right of way of Interstate Highway 10 (IH-10) near the intersection of Eldridge Drive. Called the Eldridge or Oscar Abstein Cemetery, historic research indicated that three to four graves probably existed near station marker 581+75 within the area of improvements that the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) proposed to IH-10. TxDOT’s Archeological Studies Program, Environmental Affairs Division, prepared a planning document entitled: “Exhumation and Reinterment Plan, IH-10, CSJ: 0271-07-247, Eldridge Cemetery” and contracted with Prewitt and Associates, Inc., of Austin, Texas, to conduct the necessary investigations. Work performed under Contract No. 573XXSA001, Work Authorization No. 57311SA001, included a mechanical grave search, excavation and removal of burial remains, on-site analysis, and reburial. These tasks were accomplished between November 18 and 21, 2003. No collections were made. Gradall scraping and subsequent hand excavations exhumed the remains of four individuals in three separate graves. Analysis of these remains, as well as historical documentation, identifies these people as: Burial 1 Unidentified adult, probably female, age 30 to 40 years. Burial 2 Unidentified, probably adult, indeterminate sex and age. Burial 3 Disarticulated remains of Oscar Abstein, a 38-year old male, and an unidentified child of indeterminate sex. These two died in 1884 and were reburied at this location in 1892. All remains associated with these graves were reinterred in the Washington section of the Washington-Glenwood Cemetery, managed by Glenwood Cemetery, Inc., at 2525 Washington Avenue in Houston. The remains were placed together in a single plot designated as Section I, Lot 19, Space 6, West Half, within Washington Cemetery

Archeological Survey of Wildlife Mitigation Lands, Justiceburg Reservoir, Garza County, Texas

In order to fulfill its obligations in conjunction with the proposed Jnsticeburg Reservoir project, the City of Lubbock, Texas, is considering the purchase of 2,240 acres in Garza County to serve as wildlife mitigation lands. Prior to the City\u27s final decision to acquire the land, an archeological survey was conducted. The ca. 1,000 acres of incised canyonland and upland margin and ca. 215 acres of selected upland rises were intensively surveyed, while the remaining 1,025 acres of upland flat and low-lying areas were spot checked. Subsurface geomorphic investigations (i.e., backhoe trenching) of the uplands were also conducted. The survey resulted in the documentation of 1 historic and 32 prehistoric archeological sites (1 previously recorded). Of these, the historic site is recommended as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and eight prehistoric sites are of unknown eligibility. These nine sites will need special management considerations to prevent impacts from wildlife mitigation use of the land. Historic use of the project area is associated with late nineteenth/early twentieth-century cattle ranching, while all of the prehistoric occupations that can be temporally defined are late Archaic or Late Prehistoric. Most of the cultural activity is clustered around three major freshwater spring complexes. There appears to have been intensive use of these areas during the late Holocene but only ephemeral prehistoric use of the uplands more than 0.5 km away from the springs and stream channels. Geomorphic evidence indicates that extensive root-plow disturbance occurred in many upland areas, but well-preserved archeological deposits are present in portions of the eroded upland margin. Three unique upland depositional environments (playas with associated dunes, channels, and pond deposits) have the potential for preserving buried cultural remains of considerable antiquity as well as providing paleo-environmental data which is lacking at this time

Cultural Resources Survey of the Leander Rehabilitation Center, Williamson County, Texas

In August-September 1996, personnel from Prewitt and Associates, Inc., conducted a cultural resources survey of ca. 725 acres of the former Leander Rehabilitation Center. The project area lies adjacent to U.S. Highway 183 and FM 620 in southern Williamson County, Texas. The survey resulted in additional documentation of one previously recorded prehistoric archeological site (41 WM452), the identification and recording of four historic archeological sites (41WM892, 41WM893, 41WM896, and 41WM897), and reconnaissance-level documentation of 45 historic buildings and structures. Site 41WM452 is an extensive upland lithic scatter and lithic procurement site which lacks subsurface deposits, features, and datable materials. Site 41WM892 is a wood-chopper camp that contains a number of rock alignments and limited artifact deposits dating to the first decade of the twentieth century. Site 41WM893 is a remnant of a railroad spur used during the 1937-1941 construction of Marshall Ford Dam (now Mansfield Dam). Site 41WM896 contains a small number of features and sparse artifact deposits associated with the 1937-1945 Rhodes farmstead. Site 41WM897 is an isolated historic well with unknown associations. None of these archeological sites contains important information, and it is recommended that they be considered not eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or for designation as State Archeological Landmarks. The 45 buildings and structures, at 36 locations, are associated with the former State Dairy and Hog Farm. This farm was established in 1942, expanded after 1945, and reached its peak years of production as a hog farm between 1950 and the late 1960s, Created to serve the needs of the State Board of Control and the State Hospital, the facility is significant for its success in food production for eleemosynary institutions in Austin and throughout Texas, as well as for its role in the application of modern psychiatric treatment based on the therapeutic value of manual labor. Among the surveyed resources are dwellings, an office and warehouse building, a dormitory, a variety of agricultural buildings and structures, and infrastructural elements, all built between 1943 and 1955. Twenty-one of the 45 surveyed resources are recommended as being eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A and C as Contributing resources in a historic district and for designation as State Archeological Landmarks

Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge: Continued Archeological and Historical Research at El Capote Ranch Community, Hidalgo County, Texas

Phase II cultural resources investigations for the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge currently under construction in Hidalgo County, Texas, were conducted by Prewitt and Associates, Inc. in September 1993 and June 1994. The work included additional survey and documentation of seven historic sites, testing and evaluation of three sites, archival and oral history research on the former Hispanic community of EI Capote, and collection of additional geoarcheological data. The seven historic sites (4IHG162-41HG168) represent former nineteenth- and twentieth-century housesites within EI Capote. Due to a lack of integrity, it is recommended that all seven sites be considered ineligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Three other probable historic sites (Garza Ranch No.2, a segment of the Old Military Road, and the de la Viila Ranch) are located outside the area of potential effects. These were not recorded, but their locations are noted. Also outside the area of potential effects, a historic housesite (4IHG 169) contains the only known standing dwelling associated with nineteenth-century EI Capote. Mechanical and hand excavations of the historic components at 41HG153 and 41HG158 revealed severe disturbances and lack of intact features. It is recommended that these site~ be considered ineligible for listing on the National Register. Surface and subsurface search for additional evidence of prehistoric occupations at 41HG153 yielded one artifact. It is recommended that the prehistoric component at 41HG153 also be considered ineligible for listing on the National Register. Mapping and recording of features at a historic brick factory confirmed the site\u27s high archeological integrity. Site 41HG156 is the only Ranching Period brick kiln known in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. It is recommended that it be considered eligible for listing on·the National Register